DBE: Dragon Ball Elementals
by BloodWing
Summary: AU. Two months after the Cell Games, a new evil approaches Earth. Now, Gohan and those closest to him must harness to powers of the elements (with a little help) to save it. Now revising as well as posting.
1. Fire

Chapter 1: Fire  
  
Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z, and all things from that, are not created by me. If they were, I would be filthy stinking rich! They belong to Funimation, and it's creator, Akira Toriyama. However, the characters I create are mine (Duh). Now, on to the story!  
  
  
  
A lone figure stood in the middle of a shrouded forest. Dark trees and plants stretched out in every direction, making it impossible to see more than a few feet away. There was no sign of animal life at all. The whole forest carried a feeling of dread. The man felt as if the trees were watching him, displeased that someone dare enter their forest. Despite this, he pressed on through the forest, as though he were looking for something. Like a way out of it.  
  
This man was really a boy, about eleven or twelve years old. He was very tall for his age, and surprisingly muscular. He had long, raven-colored hair, tied back by a piece of cloth. A few stray hairs over his face remained, which fell over his eyes. Of all the boy's features, it was these, his dark, ebony eyes, which were his most distinguishable feature. These eyes were very special. This was because they showed the eyes of two people, both as different as day and night.  
  
On the one hand, these eyes show those of a true 11-year old child. A boy with a brilliant mind, and a respect toward others. A boy that cherished life, who wouldn't hurt a fly. A boy with a happy family, and great friends. Those eyes showed kindness. Love. Friendship. Hope. Life.  
  
On the other hand, these same eyes show those of a war veteran. A fighter who has witnessed those he had loved die in battle before his young eyes. A fighter who, himself, had been forced to take the lives of others, despite his better judgement. A fighter with a tremendous power, capable to ravage a planet to a wasteland, given the right motivation. Those eyes showed pain. Regret. Guilt. Despair. Death.  
  
These were the eyes of Son Gohan, the Earth's most powerful being.  
  
How did I get here? Gohan thought, as he worked his way through the brush. He already knew where he was. He remembered these woods well. They were not far from where he lived. That wasn't the problem. The problem was why he was here. Gohan certainly had not come here by choice. All he remembered was that he had gone to sleep in his own room, but had woken up here. It was still late, Gohan thought to himself, so with any luck, he could get back home before dawn, before his mother realized he was gone. He hated the way his mother would rant at him.  
  
As Gohan made his way through the forest, he realized that something was wrong. In addition, the farther he went, the more the feeling grew. For one thing, the absence of any kind of animal struck him as odd. Gohan had lived in this area his whole life, and he knew that even at night, the forest was filled with the sound of nocturnal animals. Now, however, there wasn't one indication of animals in, or remotely near the area. No owls, no mice, nothing. Not even the boy's Saiyin sense of sight and hearing could find a trace of a single insect. It made Gohan feel very alone and vulnerable.  
  
The other problem was the heat. Not long after he started walking, Gohan noticed that the temperature had started to rise. By now, Gohan was sweating rivers. The thing which made this temperature strange to Gohan was not just it's sudden rise. It was the fact that to Gohan's knowledge of this region, the temperature was simply not supposed to go this high, even in summer. With these thoughts in mind, he quickened his pace, wanting more than ever to just get out of this forest.  
  
While he was running, Gohan heard a slight popping sound near his feet. He looked to the ground to see a pile of dead leaves. He noticed that the pile began to smoke and glow. "How strange." he thought. Just then, much to his surprise, when he bent down to get a closer look, the pile burst into flames. The sudden shock knocked the boy onto his back. "No way!" Gohan exclaimed, as he climbed to his feet. "Even this extreme heat couldn't cause something to simply combust." However, just as he said this, as if to prove him wrong, another pile of leaves ignited nearby. Then another. And another.  
  
At this point, Gohan's pace increased into an all-out run. His muscles began to howl with pain, begging the boy to stop, but he simply could not. Gohan could not stay in that forest for one more moment. As he ran, around him the tress, plants, and grass all started to ignite. In a matter of moments, the whole forest was aflame. Flames began to lash at Gohan's body, and black smoke began to fill his lungs, and get into his eyes. He started to stumble, but he pressed on anyway. It wasn't long until Gohan emerged into a clearing. Once his vision cleared, the boy observed his surroundings.  
  
The first thing he saw was another boy, facing the tress strait ahead of Gohan. He wore a bright red robe, tied with an orange sash. From within the flaps of the robe, Gohan could see a black jumpsuit, and brown boots. He could also see two gold lumps on his back, coming from a hole in the back of the robe. However, he could not tell what they were. The boy looked slightly older than he did, possibly thirteen or fourteen years old. He wasn't that much taller than himself, but his body was well toned. He seemed to be in a moderate physical state. He had light skin, and very short, jet-black hair. When the boy looked to his side, Gohan saw his dark, hazel eyes. Even from a slight distance, through the smoke of the flames, Gohan could see the features in his eyes. They were kind and gentle, but still, carried a seriousness to them as well. They sort of reminded him of his own.  
  
Just then, Gohan realized that the boy had turned his head to him. For that brief moment, as they locked gazes, the fire and the carnage around them, was forgotten to Gohan. Now that the two had a full view of each other, hazel on ebony, he could see not only his face, but in his heart as well. He could see his emotions radiate from them. He saw a love for life, and a strong will to stand up to others. He saw a staggering guilt, as if he too felt something occurred in his life, which could have been avoided, if not for him. Gohan was in total awe. Oh, my god, he thought, still staring ahead. He.he feels just as I do. At this thought, Gohan realized, he just might have found someone who knew how he felt as well. Someone who could finally understand how he felt. Someone that-  
  
Before another thought was made, a tree trunk behind the boy exploded, bringing Gohan back to reality. He remembered the firestorm ravaging the forest. Gohan shielded his eyes, as flaming pieces of timber shot by. When Gohan looked back to see if the boy was hurt, he saw that he was turned back to the blaze behind him. The boy made a quick glance back to Gohan, and Gohan noticed his eyes were no longer hazel in color. In fact, his eyes had no iris or pupil anymore. They simply glowed a dark crimson. Then, he turned back to the fire, legs spread apart. As he stretched his arms forward, toward the fire, the gold lumps on his back unfurled, and Gohan saw what they were. He gasped.  
  
Wings.  
  
They were two, large wings, connected right below his neck, between the shoulder blades. Both were about twice the boy's arm length. They both were covered with long, golden feathers, each looking as delicate as glass. The boy extended his wings outward, so he showed his full wingspan.  
  
Then, a large flame erupted from the forest, straight at the boy. Gohan ran toward him to try and help, but he hardly went two feet when he stopped. He saw that the mass of fire had stopped; not by any force, Gohan could see. It just seemed to stop. Then, the boy outstretched his palms toward the fire, and it started to change. The flames began to turn into red wisps of smoke or dust. The dust moved towards the boy, and when the dust was exposed to the boy's hands and wings, it vanished. It seemed to disappear once it touched the boy.  
  
"He's absorbing the flames." Gohan realized, watching as more of the red smoke collected in the boy's wings. " Who is this kid?"  
  
With a gentle brush along his neck, Gohan turned around, back to the part of the forest he came from. He saw as the flames from the trees near him- in fact, all the fire destroying the forest- started to turn into smoke as well. The smoke gathered above the clearing, and swirled together into a ball. Then, the ball lowered to the boy, who had turned around again, until it landed right in between the two. The boy walked up to the ball of smoke, and brushed his wing against it. The moment that happened, the ball dispersed, and the smoke was absorbed into the wing. To Gohan, it looked like the wing was absorbing it through pores in his wing.  
  
When that little event was over, Gohan looked around the forest. The only remains of the fire were the burns on the trees, and a little black smoke still coming from the ashes. As Gohan looked toward the boy, he saw the boy with a grin on his face, his eyes back to hazel. He noticed that the boy looked more.refreshed. He also noticed that his wings were glowing, making them brighter.  
  
He used the fire to make energy. Gohan realized. That's.odd.  
  
Gohan's wonder and excitement ended abruptly by a sharp spasm in his chest. He grabbed his chest, and fell to his knees. Though he did not see it, the boy saw Gohan, and was now at his side, not knowing what to do to help. Gohan did not know this, however. All he noticed was the pain. It became so great; tears started to fall from his eyes. Then, Gohan looked down at his chest to try and see if he could see what was causing this pain. The boy did as well. Neither could breathe.  
  
There was a huge bulge, coming outward from the ribcage. It was trying to work its way through his chest.  
  
The moment they saw this, Gohan's vision began to darken. He could not see well. He looked up at the boy, but what he saw, to his surprise, was a look of reassurance, before he too, faded from his vision. Gohan was shrouded in darkness. The only thing he could see was his body, and the bulge coming from his chest. When he saw this again, a voice came from almost all sides. A voice, which he realized, was his own, and spoke only three words.  
  
"Let me free."  
  
The last thing Gohan saw was a bloody hand erupt from his chest. 


	2. The Decision

Chapter 2: The Decision  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own anything about DBZ. Just my characters are… well… mine. That said, let's go!  
  
Note: There should be margarines for each paragraph. It's not my fault! My writing program just doesn't work well. I'll try to fix it as soon as I can. Also, my italic font doesn't work. So, words in thought are in ** **. My originality in names is bad, so please bear with me. It's my first.  
  
  
  
Gohan awoke with a muffled scream. He shot upright, sitting on his bed. The boy started to breathe deeply, trying to slow his heart rate, going 100 miles an hour. He looked down at his chest, remembering what he had just seen. He gave a sigh. No bloody hand. What he did see however, was his pillow on the floor, and his quilt a rumpled mess around his legs. After straitening out his bed a little, Gohan went to the bathroom, to splash some water on his face.  
  
As Gohan turned on the water, he wiped his hand across his face. He had been sweating. A cold sweat. Then, Gohan brought some water up to his face, and drenched it in the ice water. It was a shock at first, but after a moment, he adjusted, and let the cool water wash over him. When he was satisfied, Gohan wiped his face with a towel, and went back to his room.  
  
Gohan looked around his room, deciding he wasn't getting back to sleep. He looked over to his clock. Four am. **Talk about getting an early start,** thought Gohan. He decided to get dressed. Gohan opened his closet, looking for clothes. He chose his favorite suit, the battle outfit given to him by his mentor, Piccolo. **A little air might help. Mom probably won't notice if I make it back before breakfast.** With that, Gohan opened his window, and flew into the night.  
  
Gohan flew north for about 10 minutes, until he reached his destination. Gohan settled onto a plain, surrounded by mountains. The plain had a variety of flowers around the edge, and a small lake. It was Gohan's favorite place, and no one else knew about it, not even his mentor. It was his personal sanctuary. Where he could let out his problems.  
  
Ever since the Cell Games, about two months ago, Gohan had become very depressed and isolated. He wouldn't talk to anyone, still feeling responsible over the death of his father. He didn't want his friends' sympathy or pity. To him, they just couldn't understand how he felt. When the others told Gohan's father, Goku, about his son, he decided that he would return to Earth. In fact, he was going to anyway. From what Goku said, King Kai, the guardian of the North Galaxy, was going to send him back to Earth. He said Goku had something to accomplish on the Earth, but he wouldn't say what.  
  
However, this did not help Gohan at all. In fact, it made things worse. Gohan would not speak to his father, feeling he had no right to after what he had done. Therefore, Gohan spent a lot of time away from home, from his family's eyes of pity. Since then, Gohan started coming to this place to let out his frustrations. Here, he would talk to himself, and talk about what he was feeling, without worrying about what anyone else thought about it, since no one could hear him.  
  
Gohan landed on the edge of the lake. He removed his shoes and laid his feet in the water. He lay on his back, gazing at the fading moon, thinking about his dream. Every point of the dream was fresh in his mind. The raging forest, the towering flames, even the pain in his chest. It seemed far too real for a mere dream. A premonition, perhaps? However, the part of the dream which was the most mysterious, and so was on Gohan's mind the most, was the boy. His mind raced with questions. What kind of powers did he posses? Where could a being like this have come from? All this raced though his head.  
  
"He certainly is different from anyone I know. Even thought it was only a dream, I know that I couldn't have just made him up. However, who was he? And… his eyes…" Gohan recalled that look in his eyes. That kindness, guilt, it was all a reflection of his own. " I know him from somewhere. Like someone I met when I was little, but I've forgotten."  
  
Gohan felt a bit of eagerness. He wanted to meet this boy. He seemed to know how Gohan felt. Although they had never met, Gohan thought they could become good friends. He looked like someone he could finally talk to about his problems, that would actually understand, and not just pretend he did, like all the others.  
  
As Gohan tried to sort this out, he closed his eyes and tried to think what to do about this new…development.  
  
  
  
"So, he is ready."  
  
Inside a large temple, unknown to anyone else, a large, open room was occupied. The large stone walls were illuminated by hundreds of candles suspended in midair. Four large pillars stood in the corners of the room, each carrying an unlit torch. The patterns on the floor moved in a spiral motion, toward an altar in the center of the room. On the altar was a small pond, almost a puddle. Sitting with his legs crossed on its edge, was the boy.  
  
It was the boy from Gohan's dream. He had the same eyes, same robe, and same wings, fanned out on the ground. He was looking into the pond, but he was not looking at water. He was looking at Gohan, still lying on his back in his little sanctuary. He had heard what Gohan had been saying, and had a small smile on his face.  
  
"His body is beginning to realize its power. Now, we can begin training." The boy said to himself. He started to stand up, folding his wings against his back, when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"I'd say it's about time, wouldn't you agree, Chris?"  
  
Chris gave a small start, turning behind him. He relaxed when the other boy came into the light, generating from the pond. "Brian, you startled me. Yes, it is about time. What brings you here? I thought you were outside."  
  
Brian, like Chris, looked around fourteen years old. He was about two inches taller than Chris, and was very muscular. He, like Chris, had light skin. He wore a bright yellow vest, and baggy yellow pants. He also wore black wristbands and a black belt, with black boots. He had a long, blonde tail, similar to that of a say-jin, only longer. He had short, dirty-blonde hair, and blue-gray eyes. He generated an aura of calm. He seemed to be the kind of person who could keep his cool in any situation.  
  
"I was. Danielle sent me to find you. She wanted to know if you found anything from Gohan. It looks like you did." Brian said with a tone of approval. He stood next to Chris and looked at Gohan from the pond. "I can't believe this kid is the one we've been waiting for all this time."  
  
"I know. Nevertheless, from what we've seen from him, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Chris took a last look to Gohan, then stepped from the altar. "Now, I'm gonna go get him."  
  
Brian gave Chris a look of surprise. "What? Now?"  
  
"Of course. He'll need to know this eventually. Best we get a good head start." Chris replied, on his way out the door. Before he left, he turned to Brian and said, "Besides, he's the only one who can convince the other three."  
  
As Brian saw Chris leave, he crossed his arms, and his tail tip came up to his face, and rubbed against his temple. He had one thought on his mind. **I never thought this day would come. Well, I guess we can expect things to get a lot more exciting around here.** Feeling a little tired, Brian decided to go to his room to rest. After deciding it would be faster, Brian's skin began to turn gray and stiff, and his eyes changed to a yellow glow. Then, the ground below him opened, and swallowed him up. When the hole closed again, the room began to darken, as the candles all went out.  
  
  
  
Chris made his way down one of the vast hallways of the temple. He gathered some energy to his hand, so he could generate a small flame so he could see his way around. It was very dark in the hallways, despite the torches on the walls. **I should ask the guys if it's okay to add some more light around here,** Chris thought. He looked off to the other halls branching from this one. From this hallway, and a similar hallway on the first floor, a person could reach any of the other rooms in the temple. The living quarters were in the turrets, on the second floor. Some of the major rooms, like the library, and the art room, were on the first floor. A slight rumbling under Chris' feet, moving to one of the adjacent passages, told him that Brian was going off to his room.  
  
As Chris descended the spiral staircase to the lower levels of the temple, he admired the paintings on the walls. There were pictures of flowers, sunsets, mountains, and other things of nature, up and down the staircase. Not only here. There were paintings like these all over the temple. Chris' admiration was cut short when he felt something wet go down his arm, and the flame in his hand went out.  
  
"Huh? What in the- Woah!" He exclaimed as the boy started tumbling, head over heels, down the staircase. He went on for a little while till he hit the bottom floor. Chris got up, his back a little beaten, his dignity a little worse. At this time, he looked down at his hand, and saw what had hit his hand. Water.  
  
Chris got a little irritated, but hid a small smile. He looked up the staircase and yelled, "Andre! You get down here right now!"  
  
When he said this, he saw a giant bubble at the top of the stairs. It started to bounce its way down. It continued on, until it was right in front of Chris. Then, it launched into the air, and popped, revealing yet another boy. He somersaulted in the air, and landed square on his feet, his back to Chris. Once he touched the ground, he turned around and said, "What's wrong Chris? Can't take a joke?"  
  
Andre was a spirited kid, with a lot of energy. He had dark, chocolate colored skin, unlike Chris and Brian, and had short, black hair. He was about equal in height to Brian, but had a built more similar to Chris. He wore a white jumpsuit with a blue tunic, boots, and gloves.  
  
"A joke? I could have broken my neck!" Chris exclaimed, waving his arms around. Andre gave a start at his sudden outburst. Chris normally just shrugged off tricks like these, but he was really in a hurry. He didn't have time for games right now. Although, he probably shouldn't have yelled at Andre. That was more of something Brian did. "I'm sorry I yelled at ya man. I'm just in a big hurry."  
  
"In a hurry for what?" Andre asked. Then, he flipped backward, and while he was in air, a bubble formed below him. He landed on the bubble, cross-legged, and sat on it like a bean bag chair. " Oh I get it. Are you hiding something? If so, spill it. Don't you try and leave me out of…out of…whatever it is you're doing."  
  
Chris gave a small smile. Andre's attitude always made him feel better. Kinda contagious I guess. **Oh I can't wait to see how he reacts to this,** Chris thought. "Well Andre, I'm off to get Gohan. He's ready for training, so I'm bringing him here to meet us."  
  
At this, Andre's jaw dropped, and the bubble under him popped, making him hit the floor. When he got up, he stared wide-eyed at Chris. "What?!? Are you serious? I mean, we've been waiting a long time for this. Are you saying it's finally time?"  
  
**That's the one I wanted to see. I love it when he reacts that way.** "Yes I am. His body has reacted, and I'm going to start training him as soon as possible."  
  
"Cool! It'll be so exciting to meet him in person. Hang on, I'll get Danielle." Andre walked over to the entrance of the temple, looked up, and shouted, "HEY DANIELLE! COME ON DOWN, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!"  
  
In response to Andre's… call, a girl floated down to the ground and walked to the entrance. She was taller than the others were, and she had dark skin, like Andre. She had long, black hair, tied into braids. She wore green sandals and an emerald green dress, which was tight on the upper half of her body, but was loose on the bottom and swirled around her legs. She was a very caring, gentle person, slightly over-protective of her friends. "Yes? Is something wrong?" Danielle asked with concern.  
  
"Na, everything's great. Chris just told me that Gohan's power is starting to surface, and that he's going to begin his training," Andre said with great excitement.  
  
"Yup. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to get him before his parents notice he's gone." Chris had noticed the sun had started to rise. He wanted to talk to Gohan while he was away from his family. So, biding his friends farewell, Chris walked outside the temple, stretched out his wings, and kicked off.  
  
Chris looked back at the temple. It was the only home he, Brian, Andre, and Danielle ever knew. It was two stories tall, and made entirely of stone. There were arched windows all around, and four turrets near the center, each holding the living area for its four "residents". The area around the temple seemed completely out of whack. There was a small mountain region to the south, a lake to the west, a forest to the east, and near the entrance, a garden of roses to the north.  
  
As Chris turned to leave, a voice called from below him. "Chris, please wait." He looked down to see Danielle, outside the entrance. A sharp wind picked up, and she lifted off the ground, floating up toward Chris. She stopped a small distance below him, so they met eye to eye.  
  
"Chris, are you sure you're ready for this?" Danielle asked him sincerely.  
  
Chris gave a moment of thought. "Well…I'm not sure. I mean, I know he's ready physically, but after the problem with his father, I don't know if Gohan would-"  
  
"No, not Gohan. That wasn't the question. Are you ready?" With this remark, she received a questioned look. " I mean, you've been hiding it from Brian and Andre, but you can't fool me. I know how you too well."  
  
With this, Chris understood what she meant, and turned away, as she continued. "I know that you've taken a greater shine to Gohan, more than you show. I've seen you watch him grow up. I've seen the look in your eye when you see him get hurt, like with Cell, and you can't help. It's the same way Piccolo feels about him." She turned Chris around so he would look at her. " So, are you ready to force him into another fight?"  
  
He let out a sigh. "It's not about if I want to or not. The point is I have to. This decision was far beyond our control. We did not watch him since his birth to just say, 'On second thought, maybe this isn't a good idea.'" Chris turned around again, his back to Danielle. "…However, I still wish I didn't have to. It's not like he hasn't been through enough. He might not even trust us."  
  
As he started to go, Danielle grabbed his hand. "Chris, when you see Gohan, just tell him that he's among friends, and he can trust us." With that, Danielle floated down to the ground, and walked back to the temple.  
  
The boy watched as Danielle made her way back to the temple. Then, shifted his energy to his wings, and flew off. He had to get to Gohan's house before he got home. **I feel terrible about this. Gohan doesn't need more pain.** He's been through enough. As he flew, Chris watched as a cloud blocked out the sun, forming a shadow over his eyes. **This is for the best Gohan. Please forgive us.** 


	3. Confrontation

Chapter 3: Confrontation  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its characters. They all belong to Funimation and Akira Toriyama. All my characters belong to me.  
  
Note: I know this story makes no sense right now, but please be patient. I'll try to clear some things up by the next chapters. Thank You. Now, on to the fic!  
  
  
  
Chi-Chi woke up as the sunlight poured in from her window. She sat up in bed and gave a slight stretch. She looked to her side to see her husband, sprawled out on the bed, snoring like a chainsaw.  
  
"Goku? Goku, are you awake?" Chi-Chi shook her husband a little, but he just let out a yawn and turned over, falling over the side of the bed. Before she could even get up, she heard his snoring continue. **Typical Goku,** she thought. **He can come back to life twice, but he can't wake up. Oh well, he'll be up and about once breakfast starts.** With that, Chi-Chi went to change out of her nightgown, and started down the hall.  
  
She stopped at Gohan's door, deciding to wake up her son as well. However, much to her surprise, she opened the door to see him crawling back into his room through the window. "Gohan! Are you hurt? Where did you go?" Chi-Chi asked in a big panic as she brought her son into a big hug. Of course, being Chi-Chi, she had again become extremely over-protective of her son, and was worried about him if even the slightest thing seemed wrong, which to her, happened 24/7.  
  
"Mom, I'm alright. I just went out for an early walk," Gohan answered. His mother was shocked when she heard this. However, it was not at the fact that he had been out for who-knows how long. It was the way he said it. His voice carried no emotion. No attitude, no kindness, no anything. It was as if he didn't care. **He's been getting worse and worse since the Cell Games,** Chi-Chi thought. **I can't let him fall into this depression anymore. I have to keep up a light, kind disposition. Give him some more freedom. It's the least I can do.** As she broke from her train of thought, she looked down to Gohan. " I know. I'm sorry. I'm just glad you're safe. C'mon, let's go have breakfast." With that, they left the room and headed for the kitchen.  
  
As they entered the kitchen, the first thing Chi-Chi saw was Piccolo, sitting at the table. She was going to start yelling at him for being anywhere near her house. However, before she even opened her mouth, she recalled a conversation she and the Namek had two weeks ago.  
  
Flashback  
  
Chi-Chi walked through the dark valley, searching for "the monster", as she called him. She remembered hearing from Gohan that he trains in this area. She wasn't searching long when she heard a gruff voice from above.  
  
"What are you doing here?" it said. Chi-Chi looked up to see Piccolo, hovering in midair, arms folded across his chest. As he lowered to the ground, Chi-Chi began to fill with rage already. "Now you listen here you-" but she stopped herself, remembering why she was here. "I'm sorry. I'm here because I'd like to speak with you."  
  
Piccolo gave a slight look of surprise, but hid it behind a cold look before she could notice. "Well then, what is it?"  
  
Trying to keep her temper in check, Chi-Chi began. "As you know, Gohan has been in a very depressed state lately." Piccolo showed no reaction emotionally, but nodded. She continued. "As a way to try and help him, I have decided that I should allow him to be with his friends more often, people he can talk to other than Goku and myself. However, despite my personal wishes, you are one of his closest friends. Why, I'll never know…" she mumbled the last part to herself.  
  
However, it was still loud enough for Piccolo's enhanced hearing. "So, get to the point!" He yelled gruffly. He was losing his patience.  
  
"Alright, alright. Anyway, I have decided to let you…spend more time with my son. I figure if anyone can help, you can." Chi-Chi wasn't happy with this choice one bit, but she knew it was for the best.  
  
Although he wouldn't show it, Piccolo was very relieved she had made this decision. He had wanted to try and help Gohan for a while, but she would not let him get near her son. He had felt horrible for not being there for Gohan, after everything he had given him. Now, Piccolo would try anything to help his broken-spirited friend.  
  
"Thank you," was all he said. With that, he flew off before Chi-Chi could say another word.  
  
End of Flashback  
  
As Chi-Chi remembered this, she decided to wave her ranting for once.  
  
" I was wondering if Gohan wanted to train today", Piccolo asked, without even a hello.  
  
"Well, alright. But we're having breakfast first, so you'll have to wait." Chi-Chi said with a tone of annoyance. Although they made the agreement, they still hated each other. Gohan sat down next to Piccolo, not looking up, while Chi-Chi fired up the grill. As she placed some eggs on the grill, she thought to herself, **Three, Two, One**… and as she did, a rumbling was felt through the floor. Then, she pointed her finger to the doorway, and an cue, Goku came through the hallway, saying, "Is that breakfast? I'm starving!"  
  
Chi-Chi gave a small chuckle, but stopped when she saw Gohan. He looked down at the table, away from his father. In a few minutes, Chi-Chi finished making twelve piles of pancakes, twenty eggs, and three pans of bacon, and they sat down to eat. Goku ate at record-breaking speed, shoving as much food as he could into his mouth, Chi-Chi ate normally, and Piccolo drank some water. All three of them kept glancing at Gohan, not making a sound as he ate, not looking back to them. He looked up to glance out the window. He froze.  
  
He rubbed his eyes to make sure her wasn't seeing things. He wasn't. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. He dropped his fork with a clang, and didn't bother to pick it up. The adults looked toward him, and all gave a start. This was the first real expression they had really seen on his face in months. However, what had caused it was a mystery to them.  
  
"Gohan? Are you alright?" Piccolo asked. However, the boy paid no attention to him.  
  
**I can't believe it…**, thought Gohan. **There's no way…he can't be…**  
  
However, he was. Sitting on a rock outside, at the edge of the forest, was Chris, the boy from his dream. Of course, he didn't know his name yet. He saw the same eyes, a reflection of his own, as they looked back at him. He gave a small smile and waved to Gohan. Gohan couldn't help himself. For the first time in two months, Gohan gave a smile. Unknown to him, Goku, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo all stared at Gohan, wide-eyed, from this small, yet unexpected gesture. Then, to Gohan's surprise, Chris turned around, and ran into the woods. With a sudden jolt, Gohan jumped from his seat, and bolted to the door. He opened the door, and ran into the trees, leaving the three adults to stare after him in puzzlement.  
  
**This kid has some explaining to do. And I'm not going to let him get away this easy,** Gohan thought, as he chased after his rather peculiar "friend," his depression forgotten at the moment.  
  
  
  
Gohan continued to run through the forest, dodging trees as he passed. This event reminded him of the dream he had barely a few hours ago. However, right now that was not important. To Gohan, what was important was finding this kid. As he pushed through plants and branches whipping at his face, he kept running, still seeing the slight image of the boy ahead of him, constantly weaving through the trees.  
  
After some time, Gohan emerged-he hadn't even seen it coming-into a clearing. After looking around a moment, he gasped. He was in the same clearing he was in during his dream. "At least this time the forest isn't on fire," Gohan said out loud. He had been so absorbed in the irony of it all, that he jumped when he heard a voice say, "I agree. It gives the forest a more living, less-smoldering feel to it."  
  
Gohan looked strait ahead of him, and saw Chris, standing with his hands behind his back. He looked to Gohan, and walked toward him. Gohan backed up from him, in case it might be a trick. Then, he stared as he walked right up to him, and took his hand.  
  
"Greetings Gohan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Or rather, to let you meet me." He gave a slight chuckle, still shaking his hand. "Forgive the little chase, but I wanted to see you earlier, before your parents woke up. Of course, I failed, so I was waiting until you had finished eating. It looks like you found me anyway. Oh well, this might make things easier to explain anyway."  
  
Chris intended to say more, but by then, Gohan pulled his hand from Chris' grasp. He just continued to stare at the boy. When he tried to talk, he found himself at a loss of words. Finally, though later he thought he had been rude, the only thing he managed to say was, "Who are you?"  
  
The boy, turning a little red, replied, "Oh! Please forgive me. It's just that I've been waiting such a long time for this day, this moment,** and here you are, standing right the-" **Ok, Chris. Now you're babbling, he thought to himself. **You sure sound like you know what you're doing. Just get strait to the facts**. "I'm sorry again. Here goes." As he started to speak, he looked to Gohan and said, "Uhhhh… you might want to sit down."  
  
"I'd prefer to stand, thank you", he replied, eager for this kid to get started answering some questions.  
  
"Alright", Chris said with a sigh. He stood strait in front of Gohan, and brought his hands back behind him. "My name is Christopher, Chris for short. I am the elemental guardian of fire."  
  
With that, Gohan did sit down. Very fast.  
  
  
  
Gohan just sat there in shock as Chris talked.  
  
"As I'm sure you know, there are four elemental forces in nature. These forces are fire, earth, water, and wind." Chris stopped to see if Gohan was paying attention, and continued. "Just as there are four elements, there are four guardians. These guardians use the power of the elements to keep them under control."  
  
Gohan stopped him. "Wait a minute. Did you say guardians? What about Dende? I thought he was guardian of Earth?" **Ok. This is getting too weird for me,** he thought. **I thought he was weird enough in my dream. But nooo, he has to be a fire guardian too.** Gohan gave a moment of thought. ** Although, it does make sense, somewhat. That thing he did in my dream shows he can control fire. Okay, so I know this much is true.**  
  
Chris gave a small smile. "Yes, I thought you'd ask that question. Dende is the guardian of Earth, but only it's people. He watches over the people of Earth, while we watch over the Earth in general." He sat on the ground as well, across from Gohan.  
  
"Well, what about that dream? I know you know what I'm talking about. Why were you in it? What was it supposed to show me?" Gohan looked at Chris with great anticipation. **This will help me clear up some things,** he thought.  
  
Chris however, was impressed by Gohan's question. **Good. He's smart enough not to ignore clues thrown at him.** "The dream you experienced, and reason I'm here in fact, is based on one piece of knowledge; you, Gohan, have the ability to control the element of fire, just as I do."  
  
"WHAT????" Gohan screamed his eyes bulging. He fell back in shack. To him, this didn't seem to fit well at all. "If I had the power to control fire, wouldn't I know it?"  
  
"Well, you didn't know about your hidden power you used against Cell till right at that time, did you?" Gohan opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. ** He does have a point,** he thought, as Chris continued. "You were weren't supposed to be aware of you're power. Your body develops the power on its own. Then, you're body tries to reveal it to yourself subconsciously. In this case, dreams."  
  
"Each part of your dream was supposed to represent something about your power. The forest on fire was a manifestation of your power. It symbolized the power you possessed, and what you could do with it. That hand… Well, that's something you'll need to learn in time. Did this clear a few things up?" Chris asked as he finished his explanation, with a smile on his face.  
  
Gohan, still in a state of shock, ran all this through his head, to see if he understood. Of course, he didn't understand at all, but he realized that that explanation was the simplest one he was going to get. Then, he realized that Chris left out one detail. "Wait a minute. You were in the dream too. What was that about?"  
  
Chris suddenly remembered that part. "Oh! Of course. I forgot. I was not supposed to be in your dream. However, I used a few little tricks to enter it. As you saw, I helped control the fire in the forest. My role in the dream was to show you that I could help you control your power. I did it hoping that by seeing that, I could earn you're trust." He stood up, and looked up toward the sky, with a solemn look. "I won't lie to you, Gohan. A vast evil is approaching Earth; greater than anything you and you're friends have ever faced, with you being their target. To make things worse, you're abilities will have no power against them. You are one of the only people with the power to stop it. Believe me, if given the choice, I wouldn't have let you get into another battle, so soon after you're last. But it wasn't my choice to make. "  
  
He turned to Gohan. "I will answer any other questions you have, but I need to know if you are going to trust me." He extended his hand to him. "Please Gohan. You are this planet's last hope."  
  
Gohan stood up as well, and turned away from Chris. His mind was in a raging war at the time of different reactions. This kid just came up out blue, telling him he needed to save the world! **I can't do this,** he thought. **Every time I try to help, someone I love gets killed. I can't just do that to my friends… or my father.** He looked back to Chris. **On the other hand, if what he said is true, they'll be in danger anyway, with them unable to fight back. I can't turn my back on them.** He turned to Chris and walked up to him. **I guess there's only one choice…**  
  
Chris watched as a variety of emotions played themselves on Gohan's face, showing a slight window to his thoughts. **He has such little trust in his own abilities. Please Gohan. Please trust us.**  
  
Gohan gave a smile, and held out his hand and shook Chris'. "Alright. I trust you. I'll do it."  
  
Chris looked relived. "Thank you. However, before I can begin teaching you this power, there are several things we need to do first. First off, you need to meet the other elemental guardians. As I said, there are four. You need to meet those of wind, water, and earth. Although you will be learning your power from me, we will be training with the others, so I think it's a good idea I let you meet them."  
  
"Ok. So, where are they? Are they far?" Gohan asked.  
  
"Well, a little far. Our home is hidden. It can't be detected using ki, that's why you and the other Z fighters never found it. So, will be taking a different form of transportation. Is that alright with you?" Gohan nodded. "Alright. Come to me. I'm going to ask the guardian of wind to take us there."  
  
Gohan did so, slightly confused at what he just said. He stood behind Chris, as he closed his eyes. A small, round, ruby gem emerged from Chris' skin, right in the middle of his forehead. It began to glow, as Chris spoke. "Guardian of the Wind, I call to you. Lend us your power. Bring us to our home, the Temple of the Planet."  
  
With that, a sharp wind picked up by their feet. Gohan started to lose his balance from its force, but the wind gently lifted him off the ground without him falling over. Gohan still felt a little odd, unable to remain steady, even using his ki. He looked to Chris, and saw that he could be levitated without much trouble, extending his wings to keep him steady. With that, Gohan felt the wind spiraling around them, as if caught in a small twister. A huge gust of wind blew from below them, and they shot off into the sky.  
  
Not long after they left, Goku and Piccolo came into the clearing. They looked around for a moment, having not seen Chris and Gohan leave. "This is where Gohan was last," Goku said, "but I can't sense him anymore. Where could he have gone?"  
  
So, the two of them moved on through the forest, calling his name. "Gohan? Gohan?" 


	4. We're the Elements!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z. They belong to Funimation and Akira Toriyama. All original characters belong to me.  
  
Note: I forgot to add this before. This fic is dedicated to my friends. For their support, and their encouragement. Also, the next few chapters will mainly be on explaining my characters more. Please forgive me.  
  
  
  
Chris and Gohan shot through the sky, passing over a small farm. This new form of flying was new to Gohan, since he didn't need to release any of his own energy to do so. He looked around him and noticed that all around him, there were small particles of green light swirling around them. As he looked back, he saw that it formed in a circular shape, forming a tunnel.  
  
"Um… say Chris, exactly how far is it?" Gohan had to yell over the loud winds. He was eager to see these "guardians" and to see if they were as powerful as Chris was.  
  
"See that cloud up ahead?" he pointed to a very large cloud up ahead. However, 'very large' was an understatement. This was gigantic, blocking a great deal of the sky. "It's right up there. Don't worry, you'll see what I mean soon" Chris added, seeing Gohan's questioning expression.  
  
Soon, they flew into the cloud. At first, Gohan saw nothing very special. Then, they emerged through the top of the cloud, and he gasped. Sitting on the top of the cloud, was an island. A big island, about the size of two football fields. As he looked around, Gohan saw a mountain, a lake, a forest, a garden, and a stone building obviously the temple. **O…k…. That's weird,** was all Gohan thought.  
  
As he and Chris were lowered to the ground, Gohan saw three kids in front of the temple, all around Chris' age. There were two boys, one in a blue tunic, the other in a yellow vest and pants with a long blonde monkey tail, and a girl in a green dress. He noticed the girl had her arms raised and was surrounded by a green aura. As they were lowered to the ground, the three kids came up to them.  
  
"Hi Chris!" the kid in yellow exclaimed, slapping Chris' back. "Rough flight?"  
  
"Not at all. It was fine. Thanks Danielle." Chris said to the girl in green.  
  
"You're very welcome," She said with a smile. Then she tuned to Gohan. "Gohan. Good to see you in person." Brian and Andre turned in shock, having forgotten he was there. They both smiled at him.  
  
"Hiya Gohan! How do like our home? Cozy huh?" Andre stated, shaking his hand. Gohan still carried a very odd look, feeling out of place. "Uh… yeah…"  
  
"Andre, please! Show some respect." Brian reached forward and pulled Andre back, toward Danielle and himself. Andre gave Brian a dark look, which he returned.  
  
"C'mon, guys. Not now, we have a guest." Chris tried to gain their attention, to prevent a fight. When they both turned to him and Gohan, Chris relaxed. "Gohan… these are the three other elemental guardians." At this, they all smiled at him.  
  
Gohan smiled back, trying to sound casual. "It's nice to meet you all." Then, Chris brought Gohan forward, introducing each of his friends separately. "First, this is Brian, the elemental guardian of Earth." Brian extended his hand, and they shook. "Next is Andre, the elemental guardian of water." He gave a smile, and also shook Gohan's hand. "Finally, Danielle, the elemental guardian of wind."  
  
"Hey! You were the one Chris asked for help before, weren't you?" Gohan realized.  
  
"Yes I was. Chris used his mind gem to call me, and asked that I help bring you here." At this, Gohan gave a look of puzzlement. He looked back to Chris, and saw a small circular gem on his forehead he hadn't noticed before.  
  
"These gem allows the four of us to communicate telepathically, along with several other…useful purposes" Chris explained. "We can conceal them under our skin, but to use them, they have to be exposed to air."  
  
Gohan looked back to see that gems had also appeared on each of the other three members. Brian's was shaped like a diamond. Andre's, like a tear, and Danielle's looked like an upside-down triangle.  
  
Gohan stood in awe, staring at the four teenagers. "This is all a bit much for me," he managed to say. "I mean, it's hard to believe that you four have the ability to control the powers of the planet."  
  
"Oh, so you want more proof, huh?" At that moment, Gohan felt sorry he said anything. However, he nodded very slowly. "Very well. We will demonstrate more of our power." Chris gave a moment of thought. "Now you've already seen the powers of fire and wind, right?" Gohan nodded again. "That means you already know what Danielle and I are capable of." He turned back to the others. "Andre! Brian! Why don't you show Gohan what the power of water and earth can do?"  
  
They both stepped forward at the same time and said, "Ok. I will."  
  
They looked at each other with irritation.  
  
Andre spoke first. "Why should you go? I think Gohan would find my power much more interesting than your sand sculpting."" He chucked to himself.  
  
Brian began to get angry. "Sculpting? Excuse me, but I think Gohan will not be interested with you playing in the water."  
  
A vein formed on Andre's forehead. "PLAYING?? Alright, you asked for it!" Andre lunged at Brian, and they started fighting, trying to pull one another's hair out. As Danielle went to try and break it up, Chris and Gohan sweatdropped. Gohan couldn't help but think, **These guys are elemental guardians?**  
  
Chris sighed. **This is so embarrassing.** "You'll have to forgive them. They always fight and compare each other. It's their personalities. Brian thinks Andre is too childish, and Andre thinks Brian is too serious." He stepped forward. "OK you two. Listen up. Andre, you can go first, and Brian, you can go after him."  
  
Andre looked pleased, and started toward the lake. Chris and Danielle followed, with Gohan right behind. After a moment, Brian headed toward them, the hairs on his tail stiff behind him.  
  
  
  
The others sat on the grass near the lake as Andre walked over to the edge. He closed his eyes for a moment, and as he stepped up to the water, he didn't fall in. He walked right across the water, as if it was solid ground. He walked a few feet from the lake's edge, and sat down cross- legged. The others watched as his eyes changed to a light blue. "Uh… do you're eyes always change color?" Gohan asked, looking to Danielle.  
  
"What, when we use our power? Yes. It's the only thing about our power even we don't know about." Danielle explained. "It's been like that since we were created."  
  
"Created? What do you mean…" Gohan wanted to ask something else, but he heard as Andre let out a scream, and looked out toward the lake. He saw as Andre was lifted into the air by a stream of water, his body surrounded by a blue aura.  
  
"Now, you'll see what water can do." Chris gave a smile to Gohan as his jaw dropped. Andre shot higher into the air, still supported by the stream of water. Then, four more streams shot through the water's surface, on the other side of the lake. Each stream stopped at a different altitude, then fired like a missile, past Andre. They stopped over the other side of the lake, above Gohan and the others. They formed into four giant bubbles, floating in mid air.  
  
Danielle got up. "We should move. It looks like Andre is going to show off his diving skills." She grabbed Gohan and moved him back, with Chris and Brian right behind. When they looked back, Gohan saw all four bubbles start to spin like a top. They spun faster and faster, until they started to flatten, forming four discs. Then, they moved so all of them lined up vertically.  
  
Andre stood up on his "platform", stretched his arms to his sides, and jumped off. He brought his arms forward, and performed a swan dive strait above the four discs. As Andre shot through the first disc, it disintegrated, as if it was never there. He dived through each one, and when the last one vanished, Andre did a small flip, and landed on his feet in front of the others. "Ta-da!"  
  
1.1 Chris, Brian, and Danielle gave a small applause, as Andre performed a little bow. Gohan just stood there, dumbfounded, his jaw back on the ground. He heard very dimly as Brian spoke. "Ok Gohan. Now we'll show you what I can do. Come on. The mountain is this way." The four guardians left, and realizing they had, Gohan followed in step.  
  
  
  
The five kids stood in front of a giant mountain. Brian stepped forward and placed his hand against the rock wall, as the others stepped back. Gohan was watching with shock. He was beginning to accept these kids' claims, but wanted to see this last demonstration.  
  
Brian closed his eyes and concentrated, to prepare for his task that will prove his power. This is my favorite trick, he thought. Soon, the rock wall opened up, and Brian was swallowed into the mountain. Before Gohan could even react, the hole closed up again, showing no sign of even cracking. As Gohan ran forward to try and help, Chris grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"Hang on, Gohan. Brian knows what he's doing," he replied. So, Gohan backed up, and waited. For a moment, nothing happened. The mountain showed no sign of anything odd. Then, Gohan felt a rumbling sensation in the ground. He stumbled to the ground, and when he looked up again, he stopped.  
  
There was a head coming through the mountain wall. Once more, the hand was about the size of a truck. Following the head was the neck, the chest, and eventually, an entire body worked its way through the wall. The figure was about the size of the mountain. The figure looked down at the spectators, and crouched down. When it was close enough, Gohan saw the face.  
  
It was Brian. A very large, gray Brian made entirely of stone.  
  
"So, what do you think of the new me?" he asked. His voice was a little rough, but still sounded like him. "Personally, I think it makes me look like an old man. Look, I already have gray hair!"  
  
Gohan gave a small chuckle at this, but stopped when he realized he was laughing at a joke told by a large person made of rock. A person who was only a little taller than he was less than two minutes ago. When he looked back at the giant boy, he saw him stand up, and close his eyes. As he watched him, he didn't move again, until he saw something happen to his leg. It changed color, making it look a little like sand. Then, a figure emerged from the leg, this one a normal-sized Brian.  
  
"Well? Nice huh? I condensed the rocks around my body to assume my shape. Now, it leaves a lovely replica of yours truly," Brian boasted. He patted the large leg, admiring his handiwork. Gohan just gawked at the statue. Chris moved over to Gohan and looked at his expression.  
  
"He's been doing that a lot today, hasn't he?" Chris turned to Brian. "Very nice Brian. Now put it back."  
  
"Alright." Brian turned back to the mountain and outstretched his arms. His eyes began to glow, and another hole formed in the wall. This one sucked up the statue, and with that, the wall closed up again. Gohan slowly turned around, back to the Chris and the others. Brian passed Gohan and joined the others.  
  
"Well Gohan, do you believe us now?" Chris asked. Gohan didn't speak. He looked from one the guardians to the other. Each with the power to control a planetary force. Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind. "Yes. I do believe you." This earned a sigh of relief from the others.  
  
Chris stepped forward. "Now Gohan, that's one thing we've cleared up. You have met the other elemental guardians and seen that they can truly do what I told you they could do. Now we need to move to the next problem. In order for you to be better prepared for the upcoming battles, you need a bit more background. You need to know who or what we're facing."  
  
Danielle cut in. "Chris, I think we should first explain more about ourselves. Like our origins." She turned to Gohan. "You see, unlike Kami, new elemental guardians are never chosen. We have carried the burden of our duties since the Earth began. So I thought we could help explain some things, like why our forms were chosen, the differences in our personalities, and such."  
  
Gohan understood all this. However, his heart went out to the four. **How sad,** he thought. **These kids have carried the weight of the planet for centuries. They must feel so alone.** He smiled to himself. ** Jeez, and I thought I knew pressure.** "Alright then. Go ahead and show me." ** I guess this means the time of peace for the Earth is over.**  
  
"Very well," Chris replied. "However, we might need to show you this as well as explain it. We have a specific chamber where we can do this in the temple. We will take you there." Chris turned around, and headed for the temple. With a smile, Danielle took Gohan's hand, and the four others followed after Chris.  
  
  
  
1.2  
  
1.3  
  
1.4 


	5. A History Lesson

Chapter 5: A History Lesson  
  
Note: I'd like reviews on this story. This is an epic, so you can expect it to be long. Thanks.  
  
  
  
It was about noon, and Piccolo and Goku still had found no sign of Gohan anywhere. They had looked all over the forest, but could not find him anywhere. They had even contacted Bulma at Capsule Corporation, to see if he had gone there. However, she had said Gohan hadn't come by in days. Currently, the two warriors were near the river Goku liked to go fishing, taking a small break.  
  
"I don't understand," Goku thought out loud. He leaned back against a tree, running his hand through his hair. "Where could Gohan have gone? It doesn't make any sense."  
  
Piccolo sat on the edge of the river, meditating. He had an even lower feeling that Gohan was safe than Goku did. They had noticed about ten minutes after searching for Gohan that his energy just vanished. They thought he might have gotten hurt, and his energy had dropped because of this. Therefore, Piccolo was trying to extend his senses to try and locate Gohan's lower energy signal. After a while-  
  
"Nothing." Goku turned to Piccolo. He almost hadn't heard him speak. Piccolo stood and turned to Goku, his face solemn. "There is no sign of Gohan anywhere. I can't even sense enough of his energy to tell if he's still alive, let alone alright." There was a hint of pain in Piccolo's voice, but it was hard to notice. "There's nothing we can do."  
  
Goku stared at him, a look of terror on his face. "But, there must be something. Maybe we could call Krillen and-"  
  
"No." Piccolo cut him off short. "I'm sorry, no. It wouldn't help. Gohan's energy isn't anywhere on the planet. Even if he was hurt we would be able to sense his power." He turned his head away. "I'm sorry, Goku."  
  
Goku stood in shock, and slowly lowered his head. **No… he's lying… he can't just vanish…** He closed his eyes as he pounded his fist against a tree. **Why did this have to happen to him? Who did this to him?** . He let a small tear fall from his eyes.  
  
Slowly, on shaking feet, Goku turned to Picollo. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. "We have to tell Chi-Chi." His voice was now very hollow, quite unlike his usually cheerful self. He gathered his energy, and lifted off the ground.  
  
After a moment, Piccolo, too, lifted off the ground, to tell Chi-Chi about what had happened to his friend.  
  
  
  
Chris led the way as the five children entered the temple. As they entered, Gohan looked around the main entryway. The interior was decorated with lavished carpets and furniture. There was a large fireplace to the left of the doorway, and a grand piano on the other side. The doorways were all arched, and several items carried carvings of things such as animals. However, the things that caught Gohan's interest most, were the paintings.  
  
Gohan walked over to one picture over the fireplace, a portrait of a sunset over a mountain. He looked in wonder at the use of paint, the depth, and the personal "emotion" the artist put into the painting. Andre came up from behind him and looked up at the painting as well.  
  
"Sun's Final Kiss," he murmured. As Gohan looked at him, he continued. "That's the name of the painting, in case you're wondering. One of our first paintings, and not all that bad."  
  
"It's beautiful…" he whispered. Then, he paused for a moment. "Our first?" He gave a look of shock. "Are you saying you painted this?"  
  
Andre turned to Gohan, and laughed. "Me? Oh no. I could never do this sort of work. This masterpiece belongs to Danielle." They both turned around to look at the young girl, who blushed. "She made this one, and all the other paintings in the temple."  
  
Gohan looked, astonished, at Danielle. "I must say, you are the adept artist." Danielle turned even redder.  
  
"Well, we don't have much to do around here, so it's important to have something to keep you busy." She tried to change the subject. "Come on, we should go. It's up the stairs." The three of them went to the other end of the room, near a spiral staircase. There, Chris and Brian were waiting. They all climbed the stairs to the second level, and entered through a large hallway.  
  
When they entered, Gohan noticed how dark it was. Chris created a small flame in his hand, and held it above his head. So, they moved through the passage, toward the back of the temple. Chris led the way, his fire lighting the path. Gohan followed, eager as to where they were going, yet still trying to keep on guard. Andre and Danielle followed, side by side. Brian brought up the rear.  
  
Soon, they arrived at two large doors. With a wave of his hand, the flame in Chris' hand went out, and he pushed the two doors open. Gohan entered a large room, with four pillars. In the middle of the pillars was an altar, and on that was what looked like a small pool.  
  
"Ok. This is the Sight room," Andre explained. "We can see anything from this room. It is here we will show you our past…and our enemy. It will be easier to explain this visually than with just words. Just stay there, and don't freak out." He patted Gohan on the shoulder, as he moved forward. The other three did as well.  
  
Gohan watched as they each moved between the altar and one of the pillars. Danielle moved to the lower left pillar, Andre to the lower right, Brian to the upper left, and Chris to the upper right. They all closed their eyes and folded their arms against their chest. Gohan wondered what was supposed to happen, when Chris started to speak.  
  
"I am the guardian of fire. I stand for the courage, passion, and hope of this planet. As long as the spark in all things will burn, so shall I." Chris started to glow, and was lifted off the ground. The mind gem on his head began to glow, and a red beam shot from it, into the pool on the altar. The torch on the pillar behind him ignited with a red flame.  
  
**It's an incantation,** Gohan realized. He was snapped out of his thoughts as the others went on.  
  
Brian was next. "I am the guardian of Earth. I represent this planet's strength and pride. As all things stand strong, I will stand with them." Now Brian lifted off the ground. His gem began to glow, and a yellow beam joined in the pool as well. The next torch was lit.  
  
"I am the guardian of water. I stand for the trust and innocence of the planet. As all things flow with time, I do as well." Andre finished his part of the chant, and Danielle followed.  
  
"I am the guardian of wind. I represent this planet's sincerity and kindness. As the winds of change continue to blow, I will too." So finally, her part finished, and a blue and green light joined with the others.  
  
The point where all four beams of light came together, the light shifted from the four colors to a gleaming white. For a moment Gohan couldn't see, it's light overwhelming. When he looked again, the room was radiating with energy, as the four children finished the incantation at the same time.  
  
"We are the elemental guardians. The four beings with the power of the planet. Only together can this power be fully achieved. Show the strength in our unity. WE COMMAND YOU! SHOW US WHAT WE WISH TO SEE!"  
  
With that, the whole room was enveloped with light, swallowing Gohan and the four guardians.  
  
  
  
For a while, Gohan had no idea where he was. He wasn't able to open his eyes from the painful light still surrounding him. Gohan also tried to move around, but that proved pointless. He couldn't feel the floor under his feet. As the light started to dim down, he opened his eyes. Gohan's body was surrounded in darkness, supporting his body like he was floating in water. He looked around himself but could see nothing but black.  
  
As Gohan started to worry, he saw an outline of one of the guardians in front of him. It was Danielle, surrounded in a green aura. On closer look, Gohan saw that her eyes were pure white.  
  
"Do not be afraid, Gohan." Her voice still carried her gentle tone. "We are within the Pool of Sight. With the pool's power combined with our own, our thoughts can be translated into images. This way you can see what we have." She brought her arms upward. "Now Gohan, we will start from the beginning." She raised her hands above her head, and the black void changed.  
  
Now, they were standing in the middle of space. Thousands of stars glittered all around them, like tiny candles. Gohan realized that they were much larger than they really would have in space. He watched as a comet, about the size of a baseball, whizzed past his face. "Wow": he gasped, as his voice seemed to echo forever. As Gohan looked around him, he suddenly felt very insignificant, compared to the vastness of this place.  
  
"Long ago, this part of space was simply… space. There was no planet to begin with." Danielle looked up, and Gohan did as well. "But then, we were called upon. The koais of the four galaxies, and the grand koai as well, sent us down from heaven in these forms. Our mission, to create a new planet, of life, and prosperity."  
  
Just then, not four, but five pinpricks of light could be seen in the distance. In a matter of moments, a red beam of light shot past him, then yellow, blue, and green. However, another beam of light, this one purple, followed right behind.  
  
"Who's that?" Gohan asked, looking after the being of purple light.  
  
"You'll see. Now, each of us made an important contribution to the creation of Earth." Before Gohan realized it, they teleported to a new part of space. Gohan looked around again, and back to Danielle. She was looking at something below them. He followed, and saw Chris, far below them. He paid no attention to them, his eyes closed. Suddenly, he expanded his wings, and brought his hands forward, just like in Gohan's dream.  
  
At this, Gohan looked around. There was no fire, nothing for him to draw energy from. He turned to where Chris was looking, and saw it. The sun. That was where he was drawing power from. Slowly, Chris began to flap his wings. As he did, a ball of red energy started to form and grow in front of him. He would back up every so often, until the ball was as big as a planet.  
  
"Chris…" Danielle turned to smile at Gohan. "With his great wings, he fanned the energy created by the flames of the sun, to create the planet's core."  
  
Now, Chris vanished, and Brian stood in his place. His body was lowered to the orb of energy, his tail wrapped around his waist. Gohan watched as his feet touched the orb. The moment he did. It started to darken and solidify, and the whole ball shifted from red to brown. They could see many jagged formations on its surface.  
  
"Brian…at his touch, he cooled the planet, creating its mantle and crust." Danielle looked back from Earth to Gohan. Then, she placed her hand on his shoulder, and without warning, they vanished.  
  
  
  
A moment later, Gohan reappeared on rocky terrain. He did not see Danielle anywhere nearby, making him feel vulnerable out in the open. After looking around for a moment, Gohan realized he was on the Earth's surface. As he walked along it's jagged face, he could feel extreme heat coming from the ground. Gohan looked across the baron wasteland, looking like a desert. The weirdest thing was how the sky was black, even though the sun was up. He was so perplexed by the sky, he didn't even notice when Andre walked up behind him.  
  
"Well, after Chris and Brian created the planet, it was up to Danielle and me to make it inhabitable. Watch," Andre said, looking over the landscape. As Gohan followed his gaze, he saw a cluster of clouds form in the sky. More and more started to form and gather, blocking the sun. Soon the whole sky was covered with clouds. Not long after, it started to rain. Only a few droplets at first, but before long, it began to really come down. Before long, the whole planet was caught in a deluge.  
  
Andre turned to speak to Gohan, but he couldn't be heard over the rain. Plus, Gohan was fighting as hard as he could not to be swept away, though Andre wasn't affected. He rolled his eyes, and raised his arms. The two of them were enclosed in a giant bubble, blocking the water and sound.  
  
"Jeez, that can get so annoying." Andre folded his arms. "As I was trying to say, I created these storm clouds, to create the seas. Although…" he looked around at the storm. "…this could take a while, so we'll skip ahead a few decades." He lifted his hand and snapped his finger. At the snap, they were surrounded with light by a flash of lightning. When it died, Andre lowered his hand. "There we go."  
  
The storm had died down, and the planet was back to the way it was. Now however, the deep chasms were filled with the water of the oceans. Gohan watched as waves broke along the edge of the shore. He raised his head to the skyline, and stood in awe at the sun rising along the water, giving a kind of creepy look with the dark sky.  
  
Along the horizon, Gohan noticed a single ray of green light shoot up into the sky. As they watched, the beam lanced toward them, and streamed overhead. With his heightened sight, Gohan could see a slim figure at the head of the beam, surrounded in light. Further behind, the beam of light began to fan out and cover the sky like a quilt.  
  
Andre turned to the sky. "Finally, Danielle spread her energy across the sky, protecting the planet from the vacuum of space." As Gohan turned to him, to ask what he meant, Andre vanished, leaving Gohan alone again. As he was going to call out to see if he was still near by, (which was unlikely), when the green light, this time, covered the sky. When the light had filled with light, it became bright dramatically, blinding Gohan.  
  
**Damn. If this keeps happening, I'm gonna need glasses soon,** he thought. As the light dimmed, Gohan opened his eyes again to see the black sky replaced by bright blue. It made the planet look more like the real Earth. All that was missing was plant/animal life.  
  
"So Danielle created the atmosphere…" Gohan replied in wonder. At the same time, another voice said the same thing, but in a matter-of-factly tone. He turned around to see Brian behind him. He continued. "With the planet created by the four of us, all that was left was life. This task was fulfilled by another." He pointed to Gohan's left, and they turned to see a tall figure, covered in a dark purple cloak. The figure lifted his arm, and a shower of purple sparks erupted from his hand. Each of the sparks, glittering like stars, began to settle all over the planet.  
  
Gohan looked confused for a moment, until it clicked. "Is that… Kami?!"  
  
"The very first. In time, life would begin to grow on the planet. And the five of us would be responsible to look after it." As he said this, Chris, Andre, Danielle, and himself all came up from behind him and Gohan. Ignoring the two bystanders, the guardians walked up to Kami. He turned around, his head still covered, and nodded. Then, the four children bowed to him, their master.  
  
Brian smiled. "And that, Gohan, was how the Earth was created."  
  
  
  
  
  
This chapter took a while, half of it was erased. I'll put up the next chapter as soon as I can. But first, something for all to ponder. (Probably easy.) It is obvious Gohan will control fire. Who will control the remaining elements? Please keep reading, and review. 


	6. Prophecy

Chapter 6: Prophecy  
  
I'm sorry I'm late. Mid terms. Also, this chapter is mostly explanations. I'll try to make the other chapters better.  
  
  
  
As Gohan watched the rest of the Earth's genesis occur before his eyes, he watched with fascination and wonder at every event. He was seeing what most scientists could only claim to have taken place. After watching the reunion of the five guardians, Gohan saw everything else like the world was stuck on fast forward. The first plants beginning to sprout, land creatures coming up to shore, all of this playing its course in what seemed like a matter of moments. Finally-  
  
The world blacked out around Gohan. The only things he could see was his body, and the spot he was standing on. As he looked around, he noticed that, like the others, Brian was not there. He stood there for a while, beginning to fell a little claustrophobic.  
  
"Since the Earth was made, it has been the duty of Kami, as well as the four of us, to keep this planet prosperous." Gohan turned around to see Chris, stretching one his wings as he spoke. "And like us, every planet of the four galaxies has these five to do the same task."  
  
Gohan looked back at him in shock. "Wow. You guys sure have you're work cut out for you." Gohan knew that was rude, but he didn't know what else to say.  
  
Chris smiled. "Yes we do. But we try as hard as we can, and I believe we do pretty good for ourselves," he said, a tone of pride in his voice. Then his attitude fell, and his face went grim. "However, there are some things even we cannot stop alone. The worst is what we are to soon face. His…her… its name… is Mori. At least in our tongue."  
  
Gohan thought of this name with confusion. As he did, a hand was placed on his shoulder. In surprise, Gohan turned around to find a feeble looking man. He was reaching out to Gohan as if in need of help. He turned back to Chris. "This is him?"  
  
Chris shook his head. "Look again." He looked to see now, a small girl, looking at least six, with a sweet little smile on her face. "It's a shape- shifter. No being has ever seen it's true form. Not for over a millennia."  
  
This caught Gohan off guard. "You mean this thing has been around for that long? Is it immortal?" **If it is, I see no point in even trying to fight,** he thought.  
  
Again, he shook his head. "No. Back then, such a gift was not possible in the four galaxies. Mori simply survives by shifting. If one form is about to pass on, it simply takes on another form and lives on. Besides, it was already made so that no kami could ever become immortal."  
  
"Oh…," Gohan went wide-eyed. "KAMI?!?! You guys let this thing be a Kami to an entire planet?"  
  
"If we knew he'd become this, we wouldn't let him become one," Chris retorted. "For your information, he was a kami first. Back then, the kais of Other World did not believe elemental guardians were necessary. They entrusted all the power over a planet to its kami. This all changed after Mori."  
  
"Over time, Mori became arrogant with his powers. He was fascinated with the power he had over people's lives. Capable to oversee whether one lived or died, based on what he saw fit. After a while, his own planet wasn't enough. So, he decided to work for more power. Though extreme focus on his powers, Mori developed his own sick form of exorcism. Rather than expelling demons from people, he would expel their souls, using the bodies like androids. Without emotions or a response to stimulus such as pain, they were perfect foot-soldiers. Before long, his power grew so much, he was able to bypass his own restrictions. He left the planet he was sworn to protect.  
  
"He had guarded a planet of the North Galaxy, which was very technologically advanced. Their superior ships and weaponry brought down planet after planet, as Mori picked the best of each planet, either for physical or mental reasons, to increase his forces. His army consists of soldiers from hundreds upon thousands of races, communication between them unnecessary."  
  
Chris lowered his head. "Then, the unthinkable happened. He did what no warrior, guardian, of kami could ever do. He crossed over to another galaxy. This was what got all of the galaxies and Other World on their feet. Even though Mori was powerful, everyone had believed that as least his reign could only go so far. However, when Mori learned to cross from galaxy to the next without going through Other World, this became the last straw for many."  
  
Chris looked around the void. His voice changed back to a normal tone, as if a discussion on the weather had just ended. "Well now, I believe this is all we can do here. Let's go back." With that, he snapped his fingers, and left, fading into the black. Gohan tried to follow, but was suddenly overcome by a wave of exhaustion. All he remembered was falling to his knees before falling to sleep.  
  
  
  
  
  
As Gohan came to, the first thing he felt was a cold surface pressed against his cheek. He opened his eyes to find himself on the floor, back in the Sight Room. He pushed himself onto his knees, and looked back toward the center of the room. The flames atop the pillars had one out, and the guardians floated back to the ground, still suspended in their position during the incantation. It was as if they had stayed there the whole time.  
  
Brian opened his eyes, and turned to Gohan. "There you have it. After Mori's reign began, the kais began to create elemental guardians, to break up some of the power given to kami. No one person would ever be trusted with such power again."  
  
"With the added help of guardians, many planets tried to fight back against Mori's forces. But none prevailed." Danielle faced the ground. "With the advanced technology he gained from races all over the four galaxies, Mori developed what he called 'Ki dampers'. These devices had the ability to suspend one life force. It could not be raised or lowered. Thus, many planetary forces proved useless."  
  
Gohan understood all of this, but one thing just didn't add up. "But, if Mori is so powerful, why does he bother to build up an army? If he can cause so much destruction, I don't see why he needs any more-"  
  
"Seventeen."  
  
Taken by surprise, the young demi-saiyin glanced over to Andre, his face to the pond. "I'm sorry?"  
  
He looked to Gohan. "That's pretty much why. He's like Android 17. Surely you remember him?" Gohan nodded. "To Mori, he can't just wipe out one place after another. That would be too easy. He likes to turn this into a game, acting like a general. Dominating one planet after another just to show he can. He's just mocking us. Still, we have to do what we can."  
  
"And now he's after the Z-fighters," Brian spoke again. "He learned of you through data recordings left by Freeza. You'd be surprised, but the Earth's Special Forces have quite a reputation in the North Galaxy. Not all of you of course, just those of you who went to Namek. Then, Mori found direction to Earth, using newly acquired footmen from Yardrat.  
  
Gohan thought. *That's right. Dad did go to Yardrat after his fight with Freeza. Finally, the most pressing problem on Gohan's mind came up. "Ok. I understand how ki energy won't help here, and that elemental powers will work. After all, fire isn't exactly built of ki. The thing is, how is it that I am able to? What makes me so special?"  
  
The other four looked from one another. Then Chris stepped forward and spoke. "Well Gohan, we ourselves don't know. We found out ourselves from another source. And, surprisingly enough, that source was the first Kami, on the day he died."  
  
"He had been known to give prophecies, visions of the future. We thought we could use this to help against Mori, but no vision about him ever came up. But then, right before he died, he said that we could expect to find four students to teach our methods before Mori arrived on Earth. Of course, we thought that was impossible. Aside from guardians, no other being is physically capable to command an elemental attribute. It's a trait from birth, it can't just happen."  
  
"However, he said that these students were special, even though he wouldn't say why. All he said was,  
  
1  
  
2  
  
3 Three stars will come together  
  
3.1 But one will unite them as one force  
  
Mind of one  
  
Body of two  
  
Heart of three  
  
He is the child who will bring them all together  
  
As the united destroy the crystal's light  
  
  
  
Gohan finished listening in wonder. "So I'm the kid in the prophecy?"  
  
"All the evidence points to that," Danielle said. "You have been taught under human ways; mind of one. You have saiyin and human blood; body of two. Finally, the three people you care for most are your parents and mentor. A human, saiyin, and namekian; heart of three."  
  
"Oh…" Gohan said. Then he realized something. "Wait, does that mean- "  
  
Brian smiled. "Yep. Goku, Chi-Chi, and Picollo are the three stars of the prophecy you brought together. They are the other elemental students."  
  
Gohan's mouth fell to the ground. It appeared that that was not what he had been expecting. He snapped back to attention when Andre said, "So now, you must go speak with them. Convince them to train with us. Come here."  
  
Gohan just noticed that he had walked over to the pond. As he too walked up to him, Andre kneeled down, and placed his finger on the surface of the water. The pond surface began to illuminate in different colors, finally revealing an image. It was a bird eye view of the kitchen, and he could see his parents and Picollo at the table. It looked like Goku was telling Chi-Chi something, and Picollo was listening in the corner. They all looked troubled.  
  
"You've been gone all day. I guess they're worried," Chris said. Gohan was shocked, he didn't know he had been gone for so long. "You can return home simply by jumping into the pond. You should get some rest. Danielle will be by tomorrow to pick you all up. Training must begin right away."  
  
Gohan nodded. He stepped on the pond's edge as the others moved back. He gave one last look to them. "Well, so long."  
  
"Have a safe journey back Gohan." Danielle replied with a smile. So, Gohan closed his eyes, and fell into the pond.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"…and that's everything. We looked in every place we could find, but there was no sign of Gohan." Goku just finished telling Chi-Chi all the things that happened since he and Piccolo had left to find Gohan. She moved her hands away from her face, and Goku saw her eyes starting to get misty. She got up and walked over to the window. She looked over to Piccolo, who avoided her gaze, and then looked back out the window.  
  
"Gohan, where could you have gone?" After a while, she turned around, closed her eyes, and extended her arms forward. Goku and Piccolo looked at her in confusion. He'd only been gone for one day…wasn't she overreacting just a little? "What I wouldn't give…to hold my sweet baby…right now." Her voice was barely above a whisper.  
  
The moment she said that, there was a small bang, a quick yelp, and Gohan, literally, fell into Chi-Chi's arms from the ceiling. Everyone stared in shock as he simply looked up at the ceiling and said, "Wow. That's some trip."  
  
"GOHAN!" Chi-Chi screamed as she hugged her son, nearly crushing him. Goku and Piccolo rushed over to him, and all three started talking at once. Gohan had to stop them before he passed out on his feet. The trip took a lot out of him.  
  
"Listen. I'm very tired right now. I'll explain everything later, but right now, I just wanna go to bed." He didn't want to sound so sharp, but he was cranky from falling through the ceiling.  
  
"Oh…sure." Chi-Chi let him go, and he walked down to his room. As the three watched Gohan leave, they all looked very nervously at the ceiling, as Chi-Chi whispered, "Um…Thanks."  
  
  
  
  
  
Unknown to Goku and the others, Chris and the other guardians were looking back at them. Andre waved merrily at them, as if they were looking through glass.  
  
"We've waited years for this, now it's finally begun," Brian said gloomily.  
  
"Don't worry." Chris slapped him on the back. "At least things won't be so bor…ing…uh…" Just then, Chris' eyes fluttered shut, and he started to fall. Fortunately, Andre caught him from behind. "Is he ok?"  
  
Danielle looked over him. "Chris is fine. Just exhausted. He used up the most energy today. He'll be fine after some rest." She turned to the door and started to walk to it. "Let's take him to bed. You two carry him, I'll get the door."  
  
Andre went to Chris' left side, took his arm, and threw it over his shoulders. Brian did the same on Chris' right. Danielle pulled one of the doors open, and watched as the three boys left, Chris' feet dragging against the stone floor. She looked back to the room, and muttered to herself before she closed the door behind her.  
  
"The time is coming. Heaven help us." 


	7. Earth, Wind, and Water

Chapter 7: Earth, Wind, and Water  
  
A/N: Just so everyone knows, in the prophecy in the last chapter, the numbers 1,2,3, and3.1 appeared on the first four lines. I had no idea how that happened. I've tried fixing it, but nothing happened. HOW CAN ANYONE WORK USING MICROSOFT WORD??? NOTHING COMES UP RIGHT!!! Sorry.  
  
  
  
Chi-Chi watched the clouds roll by, as the sun rose behind Mt. Pale the next morning. She was in her front yard, hanging clothes to dry on the line. As Chi-Chi looked at the clouds, she started to sing a slow melody to herself. She loved this time in the morning. Goku and Gohan weren't up yet, so she could sing really loud without them hearing. It was one of those small secrets a person has that they treasure.  
  
However, she stopped herself before she sang too loud. She suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked back to her house. In a face of anger, she saw Piccolo meditating under Gohan's window. He seemed to be oblivious to the woman, but there was a small smirk on his face, obviously from Chi- Chi's singing. She narrowed his eyes.  
  
*That horrible monster. How dare he sit there and listen to me without my knowing? I'm gonna give him such a… * Chi-Chi started to walk up to him. Then, as she saw her son sleeping through his window, Chi-Chi remembered why Piccolo was there. At the memory, it just made her more angry. *Oh yeah. I made him stay there. *  
  
After Gohan had made his surprise return home yesterday, Chi-Chi wouldn't let him out of her sight. But that wasn't hard, because Gohan still hadn't woken up since he went to sleep yesterday morning. Whatever he did while he was gone, it took a lot of energy out of him. So, Chi-Chi asked Piccolo, with much regret, to stay with Gohan until he woke up.  
  
*Fine. I'll leave him alone. For now. * With that, she went back to the laundry. This time however, she didn't sing, and would glance back at Piccolo periodically.  
  
  
  
Gohan finally woke up that morning around 10:00 AM. He hopped down from bed and looked down at himself. He realized with shock that he had won the same clothes, his purple combat outfit, since yesterday at breakfast. He changed into a pair of black pants and a white button-up shirt- his study clothes. Then, he sat on his bed for a minute and looked out the window.  
  
The laundry was hanging on the clothesline near his window. As he watched the clothes sway in the breeze, someone stood up right outside his window. He stumbled back and almost fell off the bed, before realizing it was Piccolo. He turned around and, seeing Gohan, gave a small smile he only used in front of his student.  
  
"Hey kid, good to see you're up." Piccolo's voice carried its usual aloofness, but also a hint of what Gohan thought was relief. "I'm going to tell your mother that you're awake." With that, he turned, and headed for the door of the house.  
  
Gohan got off the bed and started to stretch a little. As he did, he glanced at a photograph on his desk. It had been taken on his birthday; days before the Cell Games had taken place. In it was his father and himself, both in their super-saiyin forms, eating noodles. His mother had taken it for a laugh. He himself hadn't had the nerve to look at it since the games. It had been too painful for him.  
  
As he broke eye contact with the photo, Gohan realized something. Chris and the others had asked him to tell Piccolo and his parents about them. This meant that Gohan would have to face his father, and he wasn't sure if he ready. He took a few deep breaths, and sat back down on his bed. He placed his head in hands. *You know you'll need to face him sooner of later, * his rational side said. * It's best that you confront him now, before it gets any harder. This is important. *  
  
Gohan stood up again and walked out of the room. As he did, his mother collided into him, having just heard of his awakening. She (again), trapped him into a giant hug, cutting off his air. Then, before another word could be said, Chi-Chi let go, and dashed to the kitchen, to make him something to eat. With a sigh, Gohan followed.  
  
In the kitchen, he caught no sign of Piccolo or Goku. That is until he heard a small explosion from outside. Looking out the window, he could see the two sparring with each other over the house. As he just looked out, Piccolo caught Goku in an upward kick strait in the jaw.  
  
*Ouch, * he thought. * Well, better get this over with. * He tried to call up to them, but his voice caught in his throat. Even in this situation, he still couldn't bring himself to speak with his father, at least directly. So instead, he turned to his mother. "Mom, could you call down dad and Mr. Piccolo? There's something I have to say."  
  
Chi-Chi, who had just placed a plate for Gohan at the table, nodded and smiled. She headed to the door and called out to Goku and Piccolo. Meanwhile, Gohan sat down at the table, in front of the plate. As the three adults entered, Piccolo walked over behind Gohan, as the boy's parents sat at the table with him.  
  
The demi-saiyin lowered his face. "Well, I guess you want to know where I've been…"  
  
  
  
By noon, Gohan had told them almost everything that had occurred the day previous. He explained about the guardians, the temple, Mori, and about their role in the whole idea. As the explanation progressed, Gohan had little assurance that they would believe him; if he hadn't been through the events himself, he probably wouldn't have believed it either.  
  
"…and so Danielle is going to come by later and bring you all to the temple." With a sigh, Gohan finally finished his story. They had all moved to the living room, and all (except for Piccolo) were seated on the couch. Goku looked rather skeptical, Chi-Chi angry, and Piccolo appeared deep in thought.  
  
Chi-Chi spoke up first. "Well I for one will not stand for this! We have just finished that horrible ordeal with Cell, and no punk kids are going to try and trick my family to go parade off into another battle!"  
  
*Sounds like Chi-Chi's back to normal * Goku thought. "Now Chi-Chi, we can't just ignore this. These people have come to us for help, and I think we should help however we can. Besides, the opportunity to learn a whole new style of fighting sounds exciting."  
  
This got Chi-Chi really mad, really fast. "IT DOES, DOESN'T IT!?! Well, let me tell you mister, I think that this whole thing is nothing but a cruel prank someone is playing on our family!" She starts to glance into space, and talk as if to herself. "The nerve of some people. Wasn't it bad enough that all-talk bigshot – Hercule Satan – received all the glory for what my son did? Oh no, now people are claiming there's trouble, so that that jerk can make an even bigger image for himself."  
  
She turned to her son. "I'm sorry Gohan, but you'll have to tell these, friends, of yours, that we will have no part in this silly game of theirs."  
  
"Game? I can assure you, this is no game." Everyone was caught off guard by the new voice. Standing in the doorframe was Danielle, with a warm smile on her face "Forgive me. The door was open, and I couldn't help but overhear. I am Danielle, the wind guardian; though I'm sure Gohan has told you plenty about us?"  
  
The three adults nodded. "Well, my friends and I only want to help you. With only you to use the elements apart from ourselves, your cooperation is essential. Will you agree to help us?"  
  
Chi-Chi walked up to her and bent over to be at eye-level. "So you're one of the so-called guardians?" She gave a look of denial. "You can't fool me this easy. If you want me for one to go along with this, I expect proof."  
  
"Of course. We will show you, just like we did with Gohan. Besides, you need to be divided into your respective element. You can't be trained in your elemental property, if we don't know who has what property." She headed back out the door, and turned back. "Well, come on."  
  
The adults looked to Gohan, who nodded. Slowly, they all walked out the house, Chi-Chi tense. As soon as Gohan stepped out, Danielle focused her wind energy, and before the others could say a word, they shot up into the sky.  
  
  
  
"Wow," was all Goku could say, as everyone lowered down to the base of the temple. Chi-Chi looked simply flabbergasted, and Gohan and Piccolo looked as if what had just transpired was nothing at all.  
  
"This is it, the temple of the guardians." Danielle smiled warmly to all of them. "Your elemental training will take place here, with the rest of the guardians. Here, you will all be starting on the same basic level, your previous training being null and void; at least, your training in terms of your energy. Most training will involve all of you, so teamwork and cooperation is important. This especially applies to you two, Piccolo and Chi-Chi."  
  
They just glance at each other, and turned away.  
  
"I'm serious. You two are going to have to learn to get along, like we do. We guardians have learned to treat each other with kindness and dignity-  
  
"You jerk! That was cheap!"  
  
The ground shook violently, and everyone but Danielle fell to the ground in surprise. She sighed. "I stand corrected. Brian and Andre will never stop quarreling. Come, I'll take you to see them." She led them around the temple, to the mountain region. The Z fighters stopped in shock.  
  
They were sparring, but not sparring like they'd ever seen. Andre was standing atop a pillar of water, shooting water from his hands down at Brian. He was on the ground, dodging the blasts. As Brian weaved through the rock formations, water erupted near his feet. Suddenly, he stopped, turned up to Andre, and raised his arms. A wall of sand came up from the ground, blocking the next attack.  
  
The sand settled, and Brian smiled. "Nice shot. My turn!" He spread his arms wide, and holes opened up the mountainous surfaces around the small field. Then, a barrage of stone spears fired from the holes. Several flew at Andre, which he deflected with his own blasts; however, these were just a distraction, for most were aimed at the pillar under his feet. Soon, the spears broke the stream, and without the flow to support him, Andre fell.  
  
However, before he hit, he turned to face the ground. He brought his arms back, and then forward, releasing another stream of water at the ground. The stream helped slow his fall, and soon he landed lightly on the ground. "Too bad. Didn't work." He flashed a grin and turned to Brian. Then he opened his hand, and hovering over it was a small blue bubble. "So, wanna try for close-range combat?"  
  
Brian grinned as well, and flexed his arms. Two small streams of sand rose and connected to his arms. The sand condensed around his arms until they doubled in bulk. "Sure. Sounds fun." He suddenly dashed strait for Andre, and he for Brian. They were almost about to collide, when-  
  
"Hey guys! I'm back!" Danielle's voice rang out against the rock walls. The two guardians halted on the spot, and turned to the voice. There on the side facing the temple was Danielle and Gohan waving to them, with Piccolo and Gohan's parents behind them.  
  
They smiled, and walked over to the group. Danielle and Gohan stepped forward and greeted them informally. It seemed to Chi-Chi that Gohan was very comfortable around these teenagers. Then, Brian and Andre walked up to the others, presenting their hands in an introduction.  
  
When no movement was given, they looked down to see a presented stone arm, and bubble. Andre flicked the bubble aside, and Brian dusted off the rock, as if it was snow. They re-presented their hands, and Goku and Chi-Chi accepted them.  
  
"Well, I suppose that's good proof, wouldn't you say?" Goku asked. Chi- Chi nodded.  
  
"I'm well aware of the elemental guardians and their power, and have been for a long time," Piccolo replied. Everyone looked at Piccolo in confusion, as he gave an odd smirk. "Come now, Danielle, you mean you don't recognize me?"  
  
Confused, she looked closely at Piccolo. After a moment, she saw what he meant, and gasped. "Kami!" She stepped back and bowed, the other two with her. "Forgive us, sir. We had forgotten your fusion with Piccolo."  
  
"That's alright. Besides, its Piccolo now." She smiled. They stood up again, gasped, and ducked. Gohan looked behind himself, and ducked as well, as a red streak soared directly overhead. As the three adults stumbled back, the streak slowed down, showing the figure of a person enveloped in fire. Realizing the obvious, Gohan watched as the fire faded, revealing Chris with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hi Gohan," he said, waving his wing in greeting. "I'm feeling much better now that I've replenished my energy."  
  
Brian didn't look pleased. "Chris, you know I hate that! That's something I expect Andre to do." He pretended to ignore Andre's look of protest.  
  
"Well I'm sorry, but I just woke up, and was anxious to meet our new arrivals. You know how hard it is for me to wake up after using that much energy. Now if someone had woken me up…" he stopped, and turned to the others. "Speaking of which, I see you brought your companions. Excellent." He approached them. "Greetings. I'm Chris, the fire guardian."  
  
Piccolo nodded. "So Chris, you've decided to prepare for Mori?"  
  
Chris smiled. "That's right Ka- uh, Piccolo. You four will greatly help to fend off Mori. Your elemental auras are strong, very peculiar since two are off-world auras. Still, they can be brought out, and that's good enough for me."  
  
Chi-Chi stepped forward. "Excuse me, Chris is it? I see how all this will take place, but something has been bugging me; exactly how are you going to tell which of the three of us can control what element?"  
  
"Easy. As I've said, each person has an elemental aura. What you don't know is that it is always shown. However, it is not visible to the normal eye, like ultraviolet rays." He turned to his fellow guardians. The three of them each raised a hand up shoulder level, palm up. On each palm condensed a ball of light, each the size of a golf ball, and each a different color, yellow, blue, and green.  
  
The three balls levitated and moved toward Chris. They moved closer to each other, until they joined into a larger white ball. Chris held the ball in his hand.  
  
"This ball will serve as an indicator. I will fire a blast at the three of you, and the energy from the ball will illuminate each of you in a different color, showing your aura. This will tell who has what element."  
  
Brian indicated for Gohan to move behind Chris, so he stepped up beside Andre and Brian. Goku, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo all lined up in front of Chris, Chi-Chi looking slightly annoyed, yet nervous. Piccolo seemed completely confident. So, Chris folded his wings behind himself, and raised his arm. With a simple flick of his wrist, the ball launched forward, and collided with them. The three were enveloped into a white light, almost blinding; oddly enough, no sound was made, as if the explosion had been muted.  
  
As the light faded, Gohan watched in shack as the three began to glow a different color. Goku had a yellow aura; Piccolo was blue, and Chi-Chi was green. They looked down at themselves at the different auras, which faded at the snap of Chris' fingers.  
  
The four guardians smiled. "Congratulations. Goku, you are the earth elemental. Chi-Chi, you're the wind elemental, and Piccolo, you're the water elemental.  
  
Andre stepped up to Piccolo, smiling. "That means you're gonna be my student. What do ya say to that?" He was met with a grunt. *Note to self; work on his people skills.*  
  
Chris walked away from the others about a foot, and turned back to them. "The remaining elementals have been chosen, and the enemy is on his way." He rubbed his hands together. "Shall we begin training?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, over the wreckage of a capital planet of government in the West Galaxy, a first class Saiyin battle barge loomed over the planet's surface. The dark blue hull helped the sun crest, the mark of the Saiyin royal family, stand out more. The ship seemed in mint condition, the only signs of battle being the black marks on the barrels of the gun turrets along the ships' sides.  
  
Inside the ship, hundreds of varieties of species were gathered at their stations. A weapons console, a navigation computer, every seat was filled by an official. However, the entire ship was cast to silence. No word of leisure was passed between shipmates. Each crewmember seemed as if they were ignoring the other. Only one seemed to pay any notice to their surroundings.  
  
One single figure was seen in what appeared to be the command chair. A dark cloak covered its body, hiding any physical characteristics. The only noticeable thing was a dark purple crystal hanging from its neck. With a long, slender finger, He pressed a button in the armrest, revealing a hologram of the planet Earth.  
  
"Soon, Eltori. Soon." 


	8. Training, Begin!

Chapter 8: Training…Begin!

          A/N: I just want to thank all of those who have sent in reviews and comments on my story.  This being my first story, all reviews and constructive criticism is welcome.  Ok, back to the story.

          The grass under Chris' feet bent back as he stepped out of the temple, with the other seven elementals behind him.  The guardians had just finished showing the others the parts of the temple: this included the four turrets to the bedrooms, Danielle's art room, and Chris' library.  Gohan enjoyed the library most of all: the ceiling was taken out, so it was a two level room, swarming with all kinds of writings in literature, history, and information (some in terms of fighting methods of other planets).  

          The tour ending, everyone had gone out for the first part of elemental training.  They stopped near the forest area.  "Ok you four, the first thing you need to learn is elemental aura control.  You will learn to master your aura, so you can release it to use in battle, much like an energy blast."  Chris turned to face the others.  "Bringing out your elemental aura is similar to brining out your ki energy."

          To bring out your ki energy, you release the energy in your body.  To bring out your elemental energy, you must channel the power of your element from the earth itself, and then release it.  The two are very similar; it's just here, you receive the energy from another source."

          Chi-Chi appeared skeptical.  "Do you really believe that we will be able to work with only that as the instructions?  That seems a little vague." 

          Andre shrugged his shoulders.  "Well, we don't really know how to explain this.  It was something we just knew when we were created; no one taught us."

          The adults all looked annoyed, thinking that they would get nowhere.  Suddenly, Gohan spoke up.  "We have to work with what we have, right?"  Not knowing what else to do, the boy his hands together, and closed his eyes in meditation.  As he observed the darkness from the insides of his eyelids, Gohan thought about what Chris had said.

          "…You must the channel the power of your element from the Earth itself…"  This in mind, he tried thinking about the fire that dwelled within the core of the Earth.  The searing heat, the powerful flames lashing about like a whirlwind of blades.  Remembering what the fire stood for; courage, hope, everything he had thought he had before Cell-

          _*Wait.  What's that?*  Through the darkness of Gohan's vision, he could see a tiny red ball of light.  It began to grow and brighten, as if it was trying to bore a hole through his eyelids.  Gohan, startled, tried to block out the light, but to no avail; the light still came through.  Soon, it enveloped his body, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to tingle.  He started to sweat, both with heat and fear.  Its power, shining…burning…_

Burning…

Wait…something _was burning!    _

            While trying not to break his concentration, Gohan slowly opened his eyes.  All seven pairs of eyes were on the boy and his newly formed red aura surrounding him.  He looked down at his pressed hands, which had begun to burn.  He separated his hands-

          -and the whole group exploded into sounds of shock and pride, as a small fireball hovered between Gohan's two hands.

          "Excellent Gohan!  You've already mastered your aura.  Now you can use the gift of fire," Chris replied.  He also received congratulations from the other guardians.  Suddenly, Danielle stepped up to Gohan and looked at his palms, with a concerned look on her face.  They were bright red, burned from the heat of the fire.

          "Ouch."  Andre sucked air in through his teeth.  "Looks like you're also gonna need to learn to absorb fire, or you'll be fried before today.

          Chris nodded.  "

You're right. I'll take him now.  Can you guys take care of the others while were gone?"  They agreed.  "Great! C'mon Gohan."  He stretched out his wings, and with one strong flap, was in the air.  Confused, Gohan powered up, and shot off after him.  Soon they were simple specks in the horizon. 

          "They'll be back.  You three however still have work to do," Brian ordered.  Goku groaned like a kid, but eventually they all gave in.  They assumed the same position Gohan had, but with far less luck.  After about ten minutes, Andre and Danielle decided to sit down under a tree as Brian supervised their students. 

          Piccolo continued to glow blue back and forth, but Goku and Chi-Chi were having less luck.  Goku just wasn't concentrating well, and Chi-Chi thought she could do it simply by raising her fighting energy.  She began to shake as her muscles tightened.  Brian watched her for a moment, watching her face begin to spasm from keeping it so tense.  Soon, Brian broke her concentration by poking her strait on the forehead with the tip of his tail.

          "Ow!"  Chi-Chi rubbed her forehead vigorously.  "What was that for?"

          "You're too tense; your own energy is blocking your elemental aura from reaching you.  You need to relax more, or else you won't get anywhere.  Just observe how Piccolo and Goku are doing."  They turned to the saiyin and namekian; Piccolo already formed a water ball between his hands, and Goku was glowing gold.

          Chi-Chi became extremely agitated.  With a sigh, she went back to her meditation, her body more limber this time.  Her steady breathing matched her heartbeat, placing her body in sync with her body.  Soon, she also began to glow.

          Brian sat down beside Danielle and Andre.  "They all have character problems that will make this difficult; I don't know how I'll stand Goku's naive demeanor.  I hope Chris will have better luck."

          Andre smiled.  "You forget, all four of us are going to work with Gohan.  We need to rebuild his self-confidence and high spirits.  He was practically torn to pieces after Cell."

          "I agree," Danielle replied.  "Do know how much screaming I've heard during my shift in watching him as he slept?  I have to block the sound each night so his parents won't hear.  He certainly won't open up fully just yet."

          "Yeah."  Andre was suddenly distracted by Chi-Chi's yelling.  Apparently, Goku had generated a stone with his aura, and was so surprised, he accidentally fired it near his wife's feet.  So, everyone watched as Chi-Chi went off on a rant about safety.  Brian sighed, and Andre was rolling on the ground laughing.  Brian tried to calm down Danielle, who was trying to go break up the fight.  

          Well, almost everyone was watching; no one noticed the heated look Piccolo was giving the guardians.  

          His large, pointed ears started to twinge with the high pitch of Chi-Chi's screams.

          Meanwhile, on a volcanic island fifteen miles southeast of West City, Chris and Gohan touched down.  They stood on the rim of the searing volcano.  Down below, Gohan could see the bubbling lava; active, but not about to erupt, by the looks of it.  

          "Here we go."  Chris jumped off, and floated above the volcano's mouth, his wings catching the rising heat.  "You need to learn to adapt to high temperatures, so you can use your fire element without burning yourself.  Now come here."  Reluctantly, Gohan powered up again and levitated next to Chris

          "Ok.  This part is easy.  Just move lower and lower into the volcano, until you reach the bottom.  Stop when you need to, and don't use your ki to block the heat.  Also, don't be afraid of your aura; you look a little startled before you made the fireball.  Try to accept the aura, embrace it; that is the only was to use it properly."  

          Gohan nodded.  Slowly, Gohan started to descend into the volcano.  Almost immediately, he was met with a rush of heat.  He started to raise his ki, but stopped.  _*I won't get anywhere like that'* he thought.  He closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate on the fire aura, just like before._

          At first, nothing happened.  Then, after a moment, the same bright red light appeared.  This time though, as the light increased in magnitude, Gohan did not panic.  Instead, he just let the aura surround him.  To his surprise, the aura didn't burn this time; rather, it felt warm and inviting.  A smile played across his face.  The light became brighter and brighter.  Then, without warning-

          Gohan opened his eyes wide.  His body was surrounded with the same red light.

Carefully, the boy continued moving further into the volcano.  Soon his clothes started to singe with the extreme heat, but a slight release of fire energy stopped that.  Down and down he went, until before long, his feet were grazing the surface of the magma.  Looking up, he watched as Chris flew down to him, meeting at eye level.

          "Alright!  I did it!" Gohan was ecstatic.  He shot up, and did a midair back flip, landing perfectly on top of the magma.

          Chris was surprised as well.  "Yeah.  I didn't expect you to master the aura _that fast.  You're gonna make an excellent fire elemental."  Then, he mimicked Gohan with a back flip, and landed-__in the magma.  Gohan gasped as he watched Chris' dark outline move under to molten rock.  Hen he burst through the surface, and grinned.  _

"Surprised?  You can do it to, now."  He took a breath, and went back under.  Gohan seemed skeptical (like maybe Chris had gone nuts.)  _*Like everything else lately hasn't been nuts.*  With a "Here goes nothing" attitude, Gohan took a breath and fell in._

He didn't even go very far.  The magma was real thick, like mud.  How Chris could possibly move through it so well was beyond him.  Still, it was relaxing.  Gohan laid back and floated on the surface…

And gasped as a hand reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled him under.  The boy barely had time to take another breath.  As he came up, Gohan bobbed in the solution, looking around.  Soon, he saw Chris on his back, laughing.  With a smirk, Gohan flung some magma at him, as if it was water.  It hit his face with a _splat. _

Wiping it from his eyes, Chris lunged at Gohan.  For a while, it continued like this; the two of them playing around like little kids.  Chris was pleased to see how well Gohan could adjust to the magma without trying.  He came up from behind Gohan, and brought his arms up, pinning him by his shoulders.  

"I got you now Gohan," He said with a smile.

_I got you now Gohan…I got you now Gohan…_

The saiyin boy paled.

Suddenly, everything around Gohan changed.  He was no longer in the volcano, but in midair, above a desert plain.  His arms were still pinned, and he could feel to strong arms holding him back.  Confused and scared, he tried to break free, but when he did, he was greeted with a cold voice, thought to have finally ended two months ago.

          "I got you now Gohan.  Do you feel your anger rising?  I want you to be furious!  What's the worst that can happen?  Just the cost of your friends lives…"  Then, the dead laugh of the genetic android…

          "NO STOP!  PLEASE, LET ME GO!!"  Gohan broke free, and kicked himself forward.  He spun around, and fired a blast behind him.  Where he thought Cell was, Chris gave a look of shock.  He jumped up, and brought his hands forward in an attempt to defend himself.

          "Wall of Fire!" he yelled.  A fireball formed in front of his hands, and spread out in front of him.  As the blast hit the flames, it was vaporized.

          The wall disintegrated, and they stared at each other.  Gohan's face carried a look of terror; Chris', one of confusion.  

          "Oh Chris… I'm so sorry…"  Gohan lowered his head and put his hands in his face.  *_I just attacked him!  How could I do such a thing?*_

_          *Cell.  I was just starting to reach him, and he has another Cell flash.  I gotta be more careful about what I do."  Chris sighed.  "Don't worry Gohan.  It was my fault.  Let's get back to the others."_

          Raising his head, Gohan nodded.  Fortunately for him, the tears forming on his face were quickly evaporated by the lava's heat.  His face now showing nothing but shame, the boy slowly levitated up toward the volcano's mouth.  

          Chris stood on the magma's surface.  "Well, at least he mastered his aura.  Better than I thought he would.  Things will go much easier now."  That in mind, the guardian stretched his wings, and the rush of heat from below propelled Chris up to Gohan.         


	9. Different Perspectives

Chapter 9: Different Perspectives

          My dearest apologies to all.  Problems everywhere.  Finals, family, carrer, NY regents, (and that's just to start).  I hope that over the summer, I, and all of us fanfic writers, will be free to have time to ourselves, so we can do things we enjoy, LIKE WRITE!!!  YEAH ALBANY, I'M TALKING TO YOU!  (Take deep breath to prevent heart attack).   

Sorry, sorry.  Anyway, set yourself some time to write, and don't let anyone stop you, siblings, bosses, or otherwise.  NO ONE CAN STOP THE FANFICS!

Also, sorry if parts in the story seem a little slow.  I'm really working to make it exciting.  I have the major parts in my head, but I have trouble stringing them together.  Just review and let me know what you think.  Thanks.

The rhythmic beating of metal could be heard all the way down the corridor.  The sound reflected off the walls, which in turn were gathering with dust from neglect.  It danced across the light of several dim light bulbs, the only source of light in the hallway.  As the beating became louder, the form of a person could be seen making their way through, oblivious to the conditions around him/her.

The figure making its way down the hall was a woman, her high-heeled boots clinking along the cold floor.  She had long, wavy black hair, falling to her shoulders, just above her cape.  Her dark purple body armor contrasted her pale skin.  The odd thing was, her armor fit perfectly, as if made exactly to her form.

          A purple crystal hung down from a chain around her neck.

          The woman reached the end of the corridor, a sealed door and keypad before her.  In one fluid movement, she raised her hand to the keypad, and gently ticked away at the keys, written in a strange numerical dialect.  After a moment, a green light illuminated above the door, and opened.  With just an opening the size of a crack, air already began to rush by her, as a result of the sudden change in pressure.  The woman's long hair whipped behind her while the air was sucked down the corridor.  As the pressure stabilized, she steeped inside.

          The control room of the saiyjin cruiser _"Jargal" _was encased with a large plastic dome.  Above the floor the room appeared completely open to the stars and darkness looming over the ship like a blanket.  Along the rim of the dome were computer consoles, and people at each one, typing away.  They were monitoring the current progress on the planet under invasion.  The woman heard different species relaying commands and reports to each other.

          "Kahji base destroyed.  Ground troops in pursuit of survivors."

          "Thirty captives contained, preparing to be sent back for extraction."

          The woman swayed as she walked around the rim of the room, looking on at each console and fighter in the room.  All the different creatures could easily be seen as fighters.  Occasionally, she would run her hand along the face or shoulder of a soldier, like a mother would a child.  She smiled.

          These were her children.  Her precious works of art. It was with her efforts that each one came to her.  She hand-picked each one, as the elite of their race.  She chose only the best, and they all had proven this, ironically, in their efforts against her.  Sure she kept many weakling ones, but those she sent to battle; only during more difficult or more significant battles would her elite be involved.

          She quietly walked into the center of the room, toward the main control chair, and sat down.  She began ticking away at the various controls around her.  Several windows illuminated in front of her, as if generated in thin air.  As she observed the activities on the monitors, the sound of another door opening rang clear throughout the dome.

          "Master Mori, you're needed at the docking bay for the prison-" he woman in the chair turned her head to see-_herself.  The woman who walked in gave a look of irritation.  "My lord, you know it is very frustrating when you copy my form."  _

          Mori grinned and rose from the chair, closing his eyes.  In a single moment, Mori's pale skin turned green and hardened.  Her face bulged forward and her eyes slid to the sides of her head.  The black armor stretched to the new requirements of the body.  In a matter of seconds, the original woman was faced with a Makap, and humanoid lizard from East Galaxy.

          "Jara, excellent.  How goessss the work at the Lappar basssse?"  The reptilian tongue carried the s's and c's in his speech.  The woman Jara knew he had ignored her, but found it better off; she was glad she was here at all.  Jara brought back her long hair.  "Very well sir.  I just received word; you are needed at the docking bay.  The prisoners will be here soon."

          Stretching his arms, Mori turned and headed out of the control dome toward the docks; he gave no proof of hearing her last statement.  In the same way, she tried to ignore how Mori licked his lips, and the dazed look in his eyes as he passed her.  At the door, he stopped and inquired, "And Earth?"

          Jara inwardly groaned.  _What is his fascination with such a dismal little mud ball?  The dominant species rates as a Level 7 race.  Even these weaklings rate at a Level 4.  So why the interest?  Still, can't argue…  "Several scouts have already been sent ahead.  We should have an evaluation before this invasion is done."_

          Mori narrowed his eyes.  "Speed up operations.  We're heading to Earth after this planet has 'lost its significance.'  He turned and left.  Jara seemed the only one to flinch as the hard clang of the steel door rang through the dome.  

          Jara glanced up to the black abyss above.  The planet they were invading was now coming into view, rising over the side of the ship like the sun.  Explosions could be seen on the planet surface.  _I have never seen the master so determined for one particular planet.  I wonder…_

          "Goku!  Move your feet!"

          The saiyin, on hands and knees, looked up as Brian began charging at him, a large stone suspended in front of him.  Goku jumped up as the stone was thrown, and collided right where he has been.  Agitated, Brian jumped up and formed another rock, which Goku blocked, and retaliated with a kick.  As he landed, he lifted his hand to Brian (still in midair) and-

          "Stone Spear!"  -and a long rock fired from his hand.  As it neared Brian, he grabbed in, hoped over, and stood on the end.  Goku gave a look of shock as Brian ran down the spear and rammed his fist into Goku's face.  The saiyin was knocked back, as Brian regained his bearings.    

          As they paused to rest, Brian didn't look pleased.  "Goku, I've said this over and over.  Being an earth elemental does not equal being slow and bulky.  As a earth elemental, speed may be your weak point, but that's why you should practice that most."

One week had passed since the guardians' training sessions began.  At their request, the students had promised not to tell the other Z-senchi about the training: they wouldn't be able to learn their powers, so the guardians saw no point.  After the others  brought out their auras, the guardians branched off; Chirs worked with Gohan, Piccolo with Andre, etc.  

          The first thing everyone learned was adaptation to each person's attribute.  Chi-Chi had to practice rising higher and higher into the air, to accommodate to the thinning air.  In contrast, Goku and Piccolo worked to stand extreme pressures by going further underground/underwater.

          Currently, the focus was close range combat; quick-thinking, sharp senses, and combining one's attribute to their own natural capabilities.  With Goku, however, the quick-thinking didn't seem to sink in.

          "Aw, c'mon Brian.  Can't I just use my own power?  That would make things much easier."

          _So immature.  I swear he acts like an twelve-year old.  Remind me to practice meditation next.   "Because when the dampers are in place, all aid provided by your own energy will be null and void.  You must learn how to handle your attribute completely solo."  Brian groaned.  "Well, we've been out here for a while.  Why don't we see what the others are up too?"  With a nod from Goku, they left the mountain area to the temple.  _

          Inside the main hall, Danielle was tending to Chi-Chi's wounds near the fireplace.  She was having some trouble mastering flying with wind, and received a bunch of bruises.  Danielle had made Chi-Chi her very own fighting gi, since she couldn't fight in everyday clothes.  She wore a sky blue vest and pants, with a green line up the front of the vest, and two green rings, one around each ankle.  Her hair was tied back with a light green band.  Purple boots and a green heel finish the job. 

          "The others aren't back yet?"  Brian asked.

          Chi-Chi shook her head.  "Not yet.  Andre and Piccolo dropped by for a moment, but then left."  Everyone noticed the irritation still in her voice over the namekian.

          Danielle spoke.  "Well, they'll be back sooner or later.  We agreed to meet up before nig-"

          //Hey guys, you turning in already?//  Danielle's eyes went wide with surprise.  Turning to Brian, she knew he heard it too: Chris.  With a flick of her eyelids, the green triangle gem appeared on her forehead.  //Chris, are you guys done with training?//

          //Not really.  Gohan just has something to show everyone.  Piccolo and Andre are coming in with us.//

          //What?//  However, before Danielle could question further (and before Goku/Chi-Chi could question her for spacing out), the rest of the group came in.  Andre came in appearing satisfied, showing the day's training went well for him.  Gohan walked in with, for a change, with a big grin on his face.

          "Mom!  Dad!  Look at what Chris taught me!"  He turned to Chris, who nodded.  Gohan closed his eyes and raised one hand.  A red orb formed in his hand.  As Gohan closed his hand, red light came out from both sides of his hand.  The light faded, revealing a long red sword, with a brown hilt.  

          "It's the Flame sword.  An elemental weapon.  With this, Gohan's close-range combat power is increased, and when anyone else uses it, they are enabled to use a minute amount of the fire aura."  As Gohan's parents congratulated him, the guardians turned to Chris, who grinned.

          //True, we agreed to no competition between students, but there's no problem with that between the guardians' training methods.//  He received a heated look from his fellow guardians, and they in turn received an odd look from their students. 

          "You guys alright?"  Goku asked.  Danielle blushed.

          "Yes.  Sorry.  Anyway, we've all had a rough practice.  What do you say we end for today?"  Of course, she knew that everyone was in pretty good shape; except for Chi-Chi.  As her teacher, Danielle didn't want to endanger her student; after all, she hadn't fought in a while.    

          She agreed.  "Sure.  How's about I make dinner for everybody?"  The starry look in Goku's eyes showed he was in favor of her suggestion.  As they all left the temple, the guardians couldn't help but ask each other one thing.

          //Dinner?//

          Back at the Son household, Chi-Chi and Danielle began putting the meal on the stove, while the others waited outside.  Piccolo was meditating near the house, glowing a dark blue.  Chris and Gohan were sparing, both blazing like they'd caught fire.  As Chris went on the offensive, Gohan retaliated with some newly developed fire tricks.  

          Brian and Andre had a much less enjoyable time, restraining Goku from going into the kitchen.  

          "CHI-CHI, I'M HUNGRY!!  ARE WE EATING YET?"  Goku had been kicked out for trying to take a snack before dinner, and though he succeeded, it was no match for his saiyin metabolism.

          Chi-Chi walked out with the pot of rice, Danielle behind her.  "Be patient Goku.  I just need to boil the rice, and then we can eat."  

          Suddenly, Chirs stopped fighting.  He signaled for Gohan to wait.  Walking up to Chi-Chi, he placed his hand on the pot.  In an instant, his eyes flashed red, and the rice burst with steam.

          Shocked, Chi-Chi looked into the pot.  "Um… dinner's ready."

          Chris smiled and turned around, only to get caught in a bear grip by Goku.  "Oh thank you!  We should have you guys over to eat more often!"

          "Goku…can't…breathe…" Brian pulled off Goku as Chi-Chi and Danielle brought out the food.  Everyone sat down except Piccolo, who simply had some water.  Goku began to see how much fish could fit in his mouth, and Gohan started to eat, still not back at his old pace, but a little faster at least.  

          Gohan noticed that the guardians hadn't touched their plates.  "What's wrong?  Aren't you hungry?"

           Andre shook his head.  "No, it's not that.  It's just… we don't eat."  Goku stopped in mid-bite.  With a piece of fish hanging in his mouth, looking at them with a mix of sadness and pity.

          The water guardian sweatdropped.  "No Goku, you misunderstand.  We are able to eat; we just have no need to.  Like we've said, we draw energy from our own element.  To us, food is unnecessary."

          "Well, you guys should try it anyway," Gohan persisted.  Looking from one another, the four shrugged, and tried it.  They appeared to really enjoy the meal.  

          Piccolo grunted.  _Hunger is a weakness.  Guardians shouldn't grow into such a habit._

_          As dinner continued, the sun started to touch the horizon, shining its light on the group._

          Meanwhile, the sun had just started to set on the residence of the president of Capsule Corporation's home.  Bulma was relaxing in her lawnchair, in the garden.  She enjoyed watching the sunset from the garden.  As she took a sip from her chilled drink, she pulled back her long, blue hair.  She knew her parents would call her in soon, so after one more look, Bulma gathered her things and headed inside.

          As she entered the building, the young scientist was met with an explosion.  Trying to keep her balance, Bulma wondered why it hadn't started earlier.  Usually, her "husband", Vegeta, would train all day and stop only to eat and sleep.  She supposed that h had been training on the outskirts of the city, and probably see the damage on the news (classified as a mysterious phenomenon, no doubt).

          Her mind on what the news report would be like, she accidentally collided with someone.  The person scattered his papers, and worked quickly to clean them up.  As Bulma tried to help pick up the papers, she looked up.  "Oh, I'm sorry Naki.  I wasn't watching where I was going."

          "That's quite alright, Mrs. Briefs".  Naki was Bulma's new assistant; from his resume, he was an eighteen year-old college student from New York.  His parents had moved there from Japan.  He was tall, somewhat lanky, with curly yet short brown hair and light blue eyes.  They could be seen easily through his thin-frammed glasses.  

          Bulma smiled.  _He's cute.  "Have you seen my parents around anywhere?"_

          "Yes.  Your father is working in his laboratory, while your mother is preparing dinner.  She wanted me to call you to eat before I left." 

          "Oh, why don't you eat with us Naki?"  Bulma decided to ask this because: 1, as coworkers, it is important to make sure the ones you work with will be willing to work with you, and 2, Bulma's parents had taking a liking to Naki as well.  Besides, he lived in an apartment on the other side of town; it was a kind gesture.

          "Thank you very much.  Do you think your husband will mind?"  He knew Vegeta had taken an immediate disliking to him; wither it was because Vegeta was Vegeta, or because he thought Naki would 'steal' his 'woman' was beyond him.  

          Bulma laughed.  "Don't worry about him.  He won't leave that room of his all night.  Besides, I'd like to discuss some ideas for the new line of capsules.  C'mon."  So, she led Naki back into the Capsule Corp. building, talking all the way.  "First, I believe we should attempt for developing more capsules based on modern-day fads, to make an effort of appealing to younger generations…"  


	10. Teamwork

Chapter 10; Teamwork

          "Gravitational level, 800x Earth's natural gravity.  Pull will increase momentarily."

          The small, circular room strained under it's own power, as the artificial gravity pulled itself on the steel walls.  Even specks of dust were being crushed against the room's hard floor.  Only Vegeta, the last price of a lost empire, was in the room; surprisingly (to those who knew nothing of his Saiyin anatomy), he seemed able to adapt very well to intense force weighing him down.  His saiyin armor was mostly broken away, leaving mostly his skin-tight black jumpsuit. 

          The prince threw his arms up into the air, first transforming into his super-saiyjin state.  His now golden hair lashed about his head wildly, though his face remained cold, yet collected.  He jumped into the air, and began a series of training exercises, including flips, kicks, punches, and firing ki blasts about the room.  A constant practice was for the prince to fire his Galat Gun, watch it be flung around the room as a result of the room's pull, and then block his own attack come charging right at him.  Aside from a few scratches and his heavy breathing, signs of injury were minimal.

          When the gravity increased from 800 to 900 times, several flying droids, each the size of a tennis ball, entered through ports in the room, and circled Vegeta just out of arm's length.  Randomly, each probe fired a laser beam, most completely off from his incredible speed.  Even as the heated blasts were streaking by the prince by just inches, Vegeta's mind was elsewhere.  His thoughts drifted to the whereabouts of his rival, Kakkarot.  Since the finding of his brat, who was an even greater threat to the prince's ego than Kakkarot himself, the taller saiyin practically vanished himself.  According to his mate, his family hadn't made an appearance as much as they used to.  Knowing Kakkarot's highly social (and annoying) behavior, this seemed completely out of character.

          Vegeta was furious.  For all he knew, the third class fighter could very well be training in secret.  Sure, no noticeable increase in his ki had been found, but that made suspicions worse.  He could be training in the room of Spirit and Time again.  He could ascend to the second level of the super-saiyin, like his spawn, and leave his superior to become the inferior.  The weakling.  The lowest in the last of the saiyin race-

          A beam cut across Vegeta's face, leaving a small scratch across his cheek.

          Enraged, the prince released his energy in all directions.  The probes were incinerated, as was anything else not pinned to the floor.  After a moment, Vegeta powered down, and scoped his surroundings; most of the room had been charred black.  He took a deep breath, and wiped the blood from his cheek.  Grunting, Vegeta made for the door of the training room.  gAs he opened the door-

          "Oh!  Good day, Mr. Vegeta."  It was the woman's new assistant, Naki.  "Um… should I call the repair druids to repair this room for you?"  A slight tone of fear and uncertainty in his voice.

          Vegeta glared.  "Fine, pathetic earthling.  Where is the woman?"

          "You mean Bulma?  She's out on the patio.  Some guests of hers arrived, and she wishes for you to join them."  He nervously pushed his glasses up to his face.  

          _As if I need those worthless pests around my house.  _Quickly, he pushed the boy aside, and headed down the hall.  Passing the various offices and corridors, he sneered at the thought of that boy.  He was too damn polite and formal.  You'd think he was the servant, not an assistant.  _Actually, I could get use to this kind of treatment.  Someone finally respects me, and knows their place; at my feet._

Outside, Bulma was sitting at the lawn table, conversing with her guests.  In her arms, a sleeping Trunks curled up against his mother.  Yamcha was leaning forward, elbows on the table, with a look of worry.  Krillen was drinking a glass of iced tea.  Vegeta had expected that little group to drop by, except-

          Android eighteen sat in the chair next to the baldy.  She carried the dull, lifeless look in her eyes.  Her legs were resting on top of the table, and her hand- _was on Krillen's hand._

          "What is the android doing here, woman?"  Vegeta cast a sharp glare to eighteen, who returned it.  Obviously, his contempt for her from their last battle so long ago (resulting in his broken arm) had not yet faded.  Krillen and Bulma attempted to break the deadlock.

          "First off, Vegeta, my name is Bulma, not woman," Bulma huffed.  "Second, Krillen and 18 are dating.  They've been going out for about a week now.  If you weren't so busy training to beat Goku, you'd most likely notice. "  She glanced with admiration at the new couple.  _I'm glad that Krillen found a nice girl.  She's a little snippy, but she can be nice once you get to know her.  At least she's not like that bimbo Marron._

Yamcha suddenly inquired, "Speaking of Goku, have you guys noticed how quiet things have been over at their place?  I mean, ever since they found Gohan, we haven't seen much of them.  And that was about a month ago."

          Krillen agreed.  "Yeah.  I've called their house several times, and whoever answered, if anyone, said that they were all really busy.  Do you guys think something could be wrong?"

          "Well, it's possible that they just want Gohan to be kept separated.  He's been through a lot, and studies have shown that people who suffer from great trauma usually don't like to interact with many people at once.  They probably just want him around home and few people to help him recover.  I feel sorry for him.  In his young age, the whole Cell thing must have been horrible."

"Whatever those friends of yours are doing, it's anything but helping for recovery."  

          Everyone glanced at 18.  "No real ki changes have been picked up, but my scanners have picked up other odd changes near the 439 Mountain area.  Vast temperature surges, powerful vibrations, change in wind current patterns, the works.  Several abiotic alterations have been occurring near their home.  Seems, as some of you humans would say, like 'something freaky has been going on with the weather'."

The others were confused.  "Weather?  I don't know."  Krillen scratched his head.  "The news would report if there was unusual weather happening.  Besides, that doesn't explain why the Goku and the others haven't been around."

18 calmly pulled her hair back.  "Actually, I've also been detecting a few new power readings near the same area.  Four to be precise.  It appears that they have had company.  Hardly a threat, but certainly something."

          Vegeta balled his fist.  _I knew it!  That Kakkarot has been up too something._  "Well, what have those weaklings been up to?"

          Bulma shrugged.  "I don't know.  It's not like them to keep secrets from us."  She thought for a moment.  "I know!  I'll just invite them for a get-together!  We'll invite everyone!  I'm sure they'll explain what's going on."  Smiling, she got up, and walked inside, hoping to end this aberration.

          Yamcha leaned back in his chair.  "What could possibly be going on that they wouldn't tell us?  We've known Goku and Chi-Chi forever.  I hope things are ok with them…"

        Chris soared through the air, being wary of those below him.  He darted from one side to the next, as streams of water shot up toward him.  At the same time, his wings seemed to continuously get caught in the oddest of drafts; pushing him up, down, all over.  Despite this, Chris managed to move easily though the sky; in fact, he smirked.

          Piccolo and Chi-Chi were responsible.  On the ground, they were using their powers in an attempt to stop Chris; today's lesson was on teamwork and using elements together.  Andre and Danielle were directing them, as Gohan, Brian, and Goku sat on the sidelines.  Unfortunately for them, Piccolo and Chi-Chi were not having much luck. 

          "Piccolo, what kind of blast was that?  You have to aim at where he will be, not where he is!"

          "Chi-Chi, add more power to your attack.  He can maneuver around your wind streams easily."

          As they continued their onslaught of tricks and attacks, Gohan began to wonder.  _If Mr. Piccolo could control his water stream out of line of sight, he could capture Chris in the water.  _He thought for a moment.  _Mabye…_  "Mom, use your wind to carry Piccolo's water stream!  You can control his stream, and trap Chris!"

          The fire guardian smiled.  _Excellent.  Gohan has learned to use his human thinking in battle.  One can't find many saiyjins who could think of that._

Looking to each other, Piccolo and Chi-Chi nodded.  Piccolo let loose a jet of water, and Chi-Chi raised her arms, emitting what appeared to be several green ribbons.  The ribbons wrapped around the water jet, and it started to curve toward Chris.  In response, Chris conjured a fireball and rammed it into the stream.

          However, the stream reacted by dividing in several smaller streams, and circled around him.  In one swift movement, Chi-Chi tightened her fist, and the now blue ribbons of water tightened around Chris' body, with the appearance of a fish caught in a net.  On contact, steam shot from his body, reacting to his heat against the water.

          In a blast of steam, the others watched as Chris plummeted to the ground, a trail of steam behind him.  To those below him, it appeared as if he had passed out.  Chi-Chi ran below Chris, preparing to catch him-

          -and Chris straightened himself out with a flap of his wings.   He hovered for a moment, and lowered himself to the ground, In front of Chi-Chi.  "That's the kind of teamwork I mean.  Too bad Gohan had to think of it for you."  Even though he said that as a joke, he meant it.  Gohan would be a really useful leader to the Z senshi when he got older.  The guardians had long known that his human intellect could work in tune with his saiyin might; that's why they had allowed Chi-Chi to use Chris' library for Gohan's studying.  That was something they were trying to show Gohan; to use his two sides together, not act like they must be kept apart.

          "Anyway, you all will need to learn to battle in this style.  Recombinations of elemental attributes are an essential tactic in battle.  They together can accomplish what they separately can not."  Brian smiled.  "Let me show you all something."  As Goku and Gohan backed away, Brian's eyes began to glow yellow.  A hole opened up below him, and the guardian fell.  After a few moments, the larger, stone-version of Brian (which Goku humorously nicknamed G-B, for Geo-Brian) appeared.  

          The gargantuan form looked down.  "Chris," his rough voice croaked.  In response, knowing what to do, Chris shot up into the air.  He soared over Brian, and landed on his head.  Getting down on one knee, he fanned his wings on top of Brian's head.  The others hardly saw Chris' eyes glow before Brian burst into flames. 

          Like a burning building, the fiery creature towered over the others.  "Danielle?"  Nodding, the girl lightly raised from the ground.  She streaked across the ground over to Geo-Brian's feet.  Circling his feet, Danielle generated a burst of wind.  Finally, Brian too lifted from the ground.  

          "And so, elemental recombination results in a flying, flaming rocket.  Cool, huh?"  Andre smiled.  The others could only gasp as the looming force, three elements in action, formed a fighting stance in air. 

          Suddenly, G-B crumbled in a puff of ash and sand.  On the ground, Chris, Brian, and Danielle stood where Brian's large stone figure was a moment ago.  "Well, I believe that concludes today's lesson.  You guys should be getting home.  But first, a present for Gohan."

          Gohan stared.  "Me?"

          Chris nodded.  "Through the coarse of your fights, we've noticed how all of your fighting gi's are copies of those from the other Z-fighters. Piccolo, Goku, even Vegeta.  So, as an honorary elemental, like Chi-Chi, we present you with your own fighting gi."

          In front of the demi-saiyin, Chris and the others closed their eyes and raised an arm to him.  Goku remembered this from when the guardians were tring to find who had what element.  From each hand, several of what looked like ribbons of light wrapped around Gohan's body.  He flashed with light, revealing a baggy pair of white pants with a white vest, both with red lining.  Under the vest was a red shirt.  Also included were black boots with silver buckles, and red bands from his wrists to his elbows.  Behind him was a short black cape, reaching only to the small of his back.  The Japanese symbol for fire was written in black on the left side of his vest.

          Gohan couldn't take his eyes off it, looking all over his body.  "Oh wow! This is incredible!  Thank you so much!"  As he admired his new wardrobe, Chris and the guardians were smileing at him from one side, his parents from the other.  Even Piccolo, though it was one of those smiles only Gohan could see.    They all seemed to think the same thing.

          _Let the self-confidence recovery begin…_

          As the group entered the clearing in front of the Son household, they hardly noticed Gohan's open window.  Chi-Chi opened the door and went inside.

          "Everyone make yourselves comfortable.  I'm going to get dinner started.  Would you give me a hand DaniAHHHHHHHHHH!"  

Gohan and Danielle ran inside while the others took a fighting stance.  The two glanced into the living room to see the coffee table turned over.   Chi-Chi was backed up to the corner on the gound, pointing in horror too- 

"Icarus!"  Excitedly, Gohan ran up to the baby dragon, turning his happy little face from the frazzled woman.  "How did you get in here?"

"He came in from your window.  You haven't seen him in a while and he was worried."  Gohan and Chi-Chi stared with shock as Danielle spoke, rubbing her hand along Icarus' nose.  "As a wind guardian, I can communicate with animals of the air.  Brian and Andre have similar abilities.  We don't really talk about it, it makes Chris jealous."

The others entered, and Chi-Chi, out of breath, walked past the dragon, glaring at it on the way to the kitchen.  Goku and Andre also came up pet Icarus, as he licked Gohan's face.  Piccolo stayed by the entrance.

Chris shrugged his shoulders.  "Well, we gotta go.  The temple has to be cleaned of from all the water, ash, and sand."  With a smile, he nodded to the others.  "Tomorrow we have a battle royale; us four vs. you four, so be sure you're ready."

"Um, Chris?"  Chi-Chi's voice came from the kitchen.  She sounded worried.  "I don't think we can have the practice tomorrow."  Curious, the others moved to the kitchen, where Chi-Chi was over the phone.  Slowly, she pushed a button on a box near the phone.  The answering machine.

"Chi-Chi, hi!  It's Bulma.  Listen, the whole Z team is coming together for a reunion.  We can't wait too see you guys there.  Also, eighteen said that you guys have been some guests over lately.  Bring them by, we'd love to meet them.  The party's at noon, see you then.  Later."

The following click and dial tone rang dead through the house, as the stunned party looked from one another.

Andre gulped.  "We're busted…  


	11. Fiery Angel

Chapter 11; Fiery Angel

          After some late negotiations, the guardians agreed to meet with the rest of the Z team.  Once Mori arrived and the battles began, the two groups would obviously come in contact, even if the Z fighters could do nothing; best to try and put them on positive terms, in Andre's opinion.  So, they all decided to go to the city for the party.  The plan was, Goku and Piccolo would show up first, in attempt to "prepare" the others for what to expect, while Gohan, Chi-Chi, and the guardians arrived later on.  This way, the guardians could have a chance and experience West City first-hand; it was normally against the rules for guardians to indulge in ideas of their planet's dominant species unless there was global crisis, but training Gohan and the others required staying by them at all times.  It would be the guardians' own little lesson/adventure.

          However…

"You four are not going out into the city dressed like that."  Chi-Chi cast a look at Gohan's teacher.  It was about eight o'clock in the morning.  The guardians came early so Goku could drive them to the city; flying would cause too much confusion with the public.  Andre was reading a magazine on the couch, Danielle having a cup of tea next to him.   Brian and Piccolo were sparring outside.  Chris was talking with Gohan and his mother.  Goku was still asleep.  

In Gohan's opinion, she was right; at the least, Chris' robe and Andre's tunic would not pass through the city without acting as some kind of attention-grabber.  Brian and Danielle would be a less noticeable, but Chris and Andre would change that; once they attracted the eyes, the whole group would under the attention of the city's citizens as the 'weird tourists'. 

          Chris looked down at himself.  "And what do you propose we do?  It's not like we have many varieties of clothing hanging around.  We always wear these clothes.  What are we suppose to wear?"  Immediately, he regretted saying that, seeing both the shining gleam in Chi-Chi's eyes, and the desperate, 'you-poor-soul' look from Gohan.  The fire guardian gulped.

          "I am so glad you asked!"  Merrily, she ran into the kitchen and quickly returned with about four or five shopping bags.  "Last night, I thought this problem might come up, so I took the liberty of buying you all some clothes!"

          Andre almost tore the magazine he was reading in half, having caught Chi-Chi's exclamation.  "Excuse me?"

          "You all look about a year older than Gohan in these forms, so I bought clothes about a size or two larger than what I would buy Gohan.  I don't really mind, it gave me the perfect reason to go on a shopping spree!"  The woman seemed positively _giddy._  As in high-school girl giddy.

          Smiling, Danielle put down her tea, and walked over to the bags.  "Thank you very much Chi-Chi.  That was very generous of you.  Wasn't it guys?"

          Andre and Chris sweatdropped.  "Oh yes, very generous."  They turned to each other, saying it at the same time.  Suddenly, their mind gems appeared.  //I'm not gonna like this.//

          And right they were.  One half hour later, Andre stood in the living room wearing a pair of blue jean shorts, a red tee-shirt, and white tennis shoes.  He carried a look of discomfort.  "This feels weird.  Do all humans dress like this?"

          "Yes."  Gohan looked around, in his traditional white shirt and black pants.  He, Chi-Chi, and now Goku, waited in the living room for the others to finish changing.  "Wasn't Brian here a minute ago?"  Suddenly, a ripping sound came from the bathroom.  The earth guardian stepped out in blue jeans, a blue tee-shirt, and a green over shirt.  Apparently, he had to tear a hole in the back of his jeans to make room for his tail, which he wrapped around himself to pose as a belt.  The demi-saiyin sweatdropped.  

          Next, Chris came in from changing in Gohan's room.  He had on a pair of black pants and boots, but he held his gray shirt in his hand, exposing his bare chest.  He was rubbing one of his wings with the other hand, as if it was sore.  "I can't put this thing on! My wings keep getting stuck underneath, and I can leave them out or everyone will see."

          Chi-Chi snapped her fingers, and reached into another bag.  "I almost forgot.  I bought something for that.  Fold up your wings, and put this on; you should have room."  She pulled out a long dark trench coat.  His wings pressed against his back, just touching the ground, and he put on the coat.  Thankfully, no bulge on the back could be seen.

          Goku clapped his hands.  "Well, that's everyone except Danielle.  Speaking of which, where is she?"

          "Right here.  I'm sorry; Chi-Chi gave me two outfits to try, and I had trouble deciding."  Chris, Brian, and Andre turned in the direction of Goku and Chi-Chi's bedroom, where the voice came from.  And respectively, all three jaws hit the floor.

          It was such a shock to see Danielle in something other than her green dress.  Here, she wore a tight white sundress, and white platform shoes.  Her braids were held back by a light blue scrunchie.

          Chi-Chi was positively beaming.  "Oh Danielle, you look so beautiful!  I always wanted a daughter, and this is why."  Her eyes in sparkles, she hardly noticed the strange looks she got from everyone else.  When she did, she sweatdropped.  "Um… Yes, well, we should get going.  Come along everyone."

          Outside, Piccolo waited by the car.  The five teenagers tried miserably to keep themselves from laughing.  He was wearing what Goku wore during his driving test four years previous; orange shirt with triangles, and blue jeans, though also including a black cap.  "Not a word from any of you."

          "Sure, sure," Brian chuckled.  Of course, this stopped shortly when the group observed the Son family car.

          A five-person car, with eight passengers.

          In the end, Chi-Chi had to wedge between the two front seats, and four guardians plus Gohan had to make do in the back.

          "Chris, get your wing out of my face!"

          "Andre, you're sitting on my tail!"

          "Ack!  Danielle, you're hair is in my mouth!"

          "Who's pulling on my dress?"

          "THAT'S IT!  NOT ANOTHER WORD TILL WE GET TO THE CITY," Chi-Chi screamed.  The five nodded slowly.  Chris went pale.  //Yikes.  You know, Gohan's mom would make a great Z-fighter, even without training.  She can do fine with her screaming alone.//

          "We'll see you two in about a half hour," Chi-Chi yelled as Goku and Piccolo drove off toward Capsule Corp.  Turning around, she smiled at how nervous the four guardians looked, glancing from one building to another.  To her, they really did look like tourists.

          "Okay everyone, we can go through the marketplace from here, and that leads strait to the industrial part of the city.  That's where Capsule Corp is."  Signaling to the others, Gohan and his mother led the guardians through the street.

          In the marketplace, the four were dumbfounded.  Despite all their time watching over Earth, this was the first time they could reap the benefits of their work; see what the people they helped develop created.  After Gohan finished explaining the concept of currency, and Chi-Chi let them borrow some money, they browsed through all the different shops, finding all sorts of things to their interest.

          Danielle looked about through the art store.  Andre waited for her near the entrance.  She came across a set of paints and brushes that she liked; most of the ones she had were really old.  She checked the price on the sign over the aisle; 2,000 yen, easy.  She picked the set and went too the counter.  "Excuse me sir, I'd like to purchase this please."

          The cashier looked at the set.  "Of course.  That will be 5,000 yen."

          "5,000?"  She looked back.  "But the sign says 2,000."

          The cashier hid a devious smile.  "Well, we need to change that sign.  It's out of date."

          Danielle seemed not to notice.  Oh, alright then."  As she reached for her money, Andre stepped up to the counter.  He didn't fall for the cashier's trick.  "Here _sir,_" he sneered.  "How about I fix that sign for you?"  With that, he tossed a waterball at the sign, knocking it off and drenching half the store.

          His eyes went wide.  "Of course, my apologies miss.  2,000 yen."  As Andre put down the money, he pulled Danielle out of the shop.  She seemed quite confused.  "Andre, why-"

          "That guy tried to rip you off, Danielle!"  Andre was really peeved off.  "Surprisingly, not all people can be so trusting.  You have to watch yourself."

          "I'm sorry…" Embarrassed, she followed Andre down the street where the other had gone; the book store.  Brian waited outside with a soccer ball he bought at the sporting goods store.  "A soccer ball?"

          "I hear athletics are very exciting."  He smiled.  Inside, Chi-Chi flipped through a cooking magazine.  Gohan and Chris were looking through the horror section.  Gohan had a book of Edgar Allen Poe poems, and Chris carried a stack of books by Anne Rice, Christopher Rice, and Dean Koontz. 

          "Geez, you read more than I do," Gohan commented.  They checked their books, and meet the others outside.  Reassembled, they continued down the street.  

          As they walked, Danielle noticed two men, about at least 20 years old, staring oddly at her.  Also, they seemed to be watching Chi-Chi as well.  _Odd, _she thought.  When the group passed them, they started to go.  Coincidentally (or it seemed so to her), it was in the same direction as she and her friends were going.  Soon, they crossed the street too, apparently to the café Danielle had passed.  When they reached the side of the street, they turned away from the café and-

          "Hey! What's up, little ladies?"  The group tuned behind them to two teens, staggering and looking with hazed eyes; they were clearly drunk.  Evidence showed in their slurred speech.  The one on the left grinned with his yellow teeth.  "How's about a little excitement, beauty?"

          Immediately, Danielle and Chi-Chi realized the threat, with the others not far behind.  They made an about face.  "Buzz off, pervs."  The venom in Chi-Chi's voice rang clear.

          Now the right one flashed his sick smile.  "Oh, zo youze like too play rough, huuh?  Alrig, I like a challangge."  Quickly, he lunged for Danielle, while the left guy tried to push past Chris to Chi-Chi; however, with a quick wind blast and punch, the two were thrown back.  As they tried to get back up, Chris stepped forward. 

          "Leave.  Now."  He reached under his coat, to conjure a fireball without causing suspicion.  On seeing this, the two freaked.

          "Dude, he's ga a gun!"  Tripping over themselves, the bums ran off, knocking over others with them.  Chris sweatdropped.

          "That was… a lot easier than I thought."  As they slowly turned and left, Danielle couldn't help thinking, _How__ unusual.   From across the street, they seemed slightly older._

          Sitting on the living room floor, five-year-old Cherry was playing on the living room floor with her kitten, Mata.  Mata was a half-Himalayan, half-Siamese.   She was a gift from her father before he died.  In the kitchen, her mother was talking on the phone.  They lived together on the twelfth-floor of their apartment building.

          Cherry received her name from her long, bright red hair.  Her gray-blue eyes sparked with their typical youthful innocence, above her light freckles.  In her hair was a bright red geranium from her mother's box garden on the windowsill.  A bubbly laugh escaped her lips as Mata rolled on to her back and whisked her tail through the air.  The cat had a blend of white and brown fur, with black fur on her tail, nose, ears, and on spot between her eyes  

          "I bet you're hungry, huh Mata?  Hold on, I'll get you some ham, you like that," Cherry said in her sweet tone.  Quickly, she hopped on her feet and ran to the fridge.  As she rummaged through the meat drawer, Mata climbed over the couch to the window.  She started to bat her paw against the screen on the window.

          "Mata!  You mommy doesn't like when you do that."  Back from the kitchen, Cherry sat on the back of the couch and picked up the tiny cat.  In her arms, the cat nibbled on the ham.  The little girl leaned against the screen, looking at the tall buildings of the city, and the people below.  She missed living in the country, but her mom got a transfer as a news anchor for ZTV.  Her daddy had been an anchor for another news station…

          She closed her eyes.  Before he was killed about a month ago.  Not by Cell, but from grief after the creature killed his wife.  If he had only waited a little longer, when her mommy came back with the other victims, it wouldn't have happened.  A tear slipped from her eye. 

          However, the sadness turned to shock as the screen on the window gave way.

          Chris and the group suddenly heard a series of screaming coming from down a corner.  Curious, they turned the street to people through the street pointing upward.  A little girl was about to fall from about nine stories, her shirt caught on a banner pole.  She was crying, and apparently clutching something against her chest.

          "Oh my god!  We have to do something."  Gohan ran forward and started to charge up.  Brian caught him by the back of his shirt.  

          "Don't be a fool!  We can't just charge in public!  You don't see Chris or the rest of us charging in to save her.  We'll have to try and catch her-"  It was then he realized that Chris was no longer with them.  _I had to open my big mouth._

          In an alley near the group, Christopher slipped the trench coat off his back, and stretched his wings.  He quickly bended his legs, and shot up along the side of the building.  An inch from the mass of glass and steel, he launched himself from the canyon of the two buildings, now overlooking the street.  He eyed the girl, turned to her direction, and plummeted at the ground below her.

          The screams on the ground drastically increased as the girl's shirt tore from the pole.  As she fell, Cherry opened her eyes to the sky.  She saw a flash of gold, two in fact.  It came closer, showing a determined face and a pair of wings.

          _Daddy?___

Chris flapped his wings again, bringing him right up to the girl.  He reached out to Cherry and pulled her into his arms.  The ground coming closer, Chris spread his wings, and from them, released a surge of heat.  They slowed to the ground and lightly fell.  With the girl's small arms wrapped around his neck, he looked up.

The girl's apartment was across from the ZTV news office.

//Crap.//  He even heard the other guardians' voices in his head agreeing.  A crowd of news reporters, cameramen, and residents gathered on the streets.  All sound died until a woman's scream erupted through the air.  The girl's mother.  

"Cherry!  Cherry!"  At the voice, the bundle in his arms opened her eyes.  Another pair of eyes emerged from under her arms, revealing a small cat.  The girl stared wide-eyed at the hazel eyes and mouthed something before her before being whisked away to her mother.  She ran her fingers through Cherry's hair, checking for injures.  Only afterward did they stare at Chris and his giant wings.

"What _are _you?" she screamed.  Chris nervously rubbed his arm nervously, looking around the crowd.  Shocked and fearful faces met him.  He couldn't just fly away now; without an explanation, he might cause a panic.  He opened his mouth to speak, but someone beat him to it.

"It's an angel, mommy!"  Everyone turned to Cherry, who broke from her mother's grip.  Stepping forward, she smiled.  "You don't need to hide it.  It's not a bad thing."  She turned to her mother.  "He came from heaven on his golden wings to save me."

Of all the stories Chris had planned to make up, that was the last one he expected to hear.  _Wow.  Awfully deep, for one her age.  Well, works for me._  The girl walked up to him, dragging her mother, and bowed.  "Thank you for saving us.  By the way, I'm Cherry, and this is Mata."  From in the girl's arms, the kitten meowed at him.  In return, the guardian smiled, kneeled, and stroked Mata's chin.

"Well, just be more careful next time Cherry.  I'd hate to see a cute little girl like you get hurt."  Standing up, he turned and walked down the street.  As the crowd parted, he could definitely tell their opinions toward him were positive.  Through the crowd, he could see the others hiding in an alley.

Cherry waved behind him, and felt the geranium in her hair.  Taking it from her hair, she glanced from it to the boy.  Making her decision, she ran to him.  "Wait, Mr. Angel!"  That obviously surprised him, because Chris stopped and turned to her, looking shocked.

She blushed, and held out the flower.  "For you.  I think red is a good color for you…"  As he kneeled, she slipped it behind his ear.  Then, she fingered for him to lean in closer.  This time she sounded serious, yet shy.  "My daddy passed away.  When I go to heaven, do you think I can find you, and you can help me find him?  I imagine it's a big place."

Stroking the flower with his fingers, Chris' eyes went wide.  _This little girl was not afraid of death, even after the death of a loved one._  His eyes misted over.  "Of course.  You be a good little girl, and I'll be happy to find him with you."  She smiled, and kissed his forehead.  After that, she ran back to her mother.  Chris smiled after her.  

Remembering his situation, he folded his wings over himself and released his energy lightly.  In a flash of red light, he launched into the air, over the crowd.  _Thank Dende most people never look up._  As he descended into the alley, he was met with comments such as "That was so sweet", "That was so stupid", or "Trying to be the hero, huh?"

Danielle looked into Chris' hand.  "Where'd you get that flower?"

Raising the flower, he made a motion to rub his temples; in reality, he was wiping his eyes.  "A friend;  From a friend."

Andre rolled his eyes.  _You always had a soft spot for innocence._

A/N:  Sorry for the long wait with the last chapter.  I was in Arizona for a week.  This chapter went by really easy; I had it in my mind before the story began.  That's how I work; the major events are here, connecting them is the problem.  Also, I apologize for not having the reunion yet; that will be next chapter.  I hope everyone liked this one though.  Thanks!        


	12. DBE, meet DBZ

Chapter 12; DBE, meet DBZ

       Within the large living room of the Briefs household, most of the Z-fighters had gathered.  Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu sat on the couch, with Krillen and Bulma in the loveseat.  In Bulma's arms, baby Trunks was whimpering.  Eighteen and Vegeta leaned against the wall.  Master Roshi and Oolong sat near the T.V., shifting their attention from the conversation in place with the exercise video.  Puar sat on her friend's shoulder.  

All attended had been listening to Goku and Piccolo, as they regaled the rest of the group on the recent events around the Son family and the basic ideas of the events in place.  This included Mori, the four guardians, Gohan and his connection to them, how the other three became involved, and their progress so far.  From the look among the group, faith in their words were slim to nill.

"So, let me get this strait," Oolong said as a commercial appeared on the television.  "You're working with four people-who are younger than we are- and who claim to control all the elemental forces on the planet, TO STOP A DERANGED GOD?!?"  He started waving his arms about at the last part, almost knocking over the coffee table.

Goku scratched his head.  "Actually, they only _look_ younger than us… but yeah, that's about it."  He flashed the classic Son grin.  The others glanced from one to the other.  "I know that this whole thing sounds far-fetched, but it's not like we haven't seen weird stuff before, like with Cell, right?"

"We were able to fight those weird things," Tien spoke up.  "We didn't really succeed, but we still fought.  With what you're telling us, we can't even fight this thing.  These people could be lying.  They could be the real enemies, and just want to throw us off guard-"  He suddenly stopped short as the sound of the doorbell rag through the complex.  Everyone went quiet, glancing to the direction of the front door, about two rooms over.  They heard as Naki greeted the expected guests, leading them in.  

For a moment, Yamcha thought, _That__ Naki acts more like Bulma's servant than her assistant.  _His train of thought, however, was quickly lost when the seven (Naki included) entered the room.  Gohan was talking with four teenagers, who turned quiet as they looked around at the crowd.  A tough crowd at that.  In an attempt to break some of the tension, Naki and Chi-Chi, who just entered, went over to Bulma, standing up and shifting Trunks in her arms.

"Bulma, it's wonderful to see you again!"  Chi-Chi glimpsed at the baby.  "What's wrong with Trunks?"

"He's teething.  Poor thing.  Poor us, in fact; he'll bite anything he gets his hands on," the scientist replied.  As the sentence faded, so did the little relief of tension it provided.  On one side of the room, Brian's tail swayed limply at his side, as Chris stretched one of his wings to the side.  He had taken off his trench coat and given it to Chi-Chi.  On the other side of the room, Master Roshi tilted down his sunglasses, and Eighteen pulled a loose strand of hair from her eyes.  On both sides, stares shot back and forth without a moment's break; not a single eye wavered.  To anyone else watching, time was standing still, and those there when time came back would be in deep trouble.  

In the still room, no one noticed the tiny Saiyin baby as he wormed his way from his mother's arms to the floor.  Trunks looked up at the newcomers, and started to crawl toward them.  Being so young, he saw no threat in these four.  Now at the base of the one wearing the big black shoes, he looked up again; no one paid any attention to him.  The young one started to whimper, both for not having anyone pay attention to him, plus the pain in his mouth from his to-be teeth.  In front of his face, he noticed something gold dangling to the ground, lazily waving in front of his face.  Intrigued, the baby grabbed the thing, opened his mouth, and-

Everyone reacted as Chris' eyes went wide.  Slowly, he lowered his gaze to his wing, which baby Trunks was making an attempt to chew on.  Bulma hardly had time to call out before the fire guardian spread his wings out, blocking the baby, Gohan, and the other three guardians.  Then, he folded back his wings, Trunks now in the hands of the water guardian.  Beside the three elemental students, all the Z-fighters stood up and tensed as Andre looked from them to the bundle in his hands.  Confused blue eyes looked back on focused brown ones.  Andre's face was tense.

Then, he puffed his cheeks and wiggled his ears.

Immediately, the baby started laughing, and Andre chuckled behind him.  Soon, Gohan and the other four guardians started laughing as well.  Everyone else kept themselves stiff.

"Aww, look!  He likes you Andre," Danielle cooed.  She leaned over Andre's shoulder to see Trunks.  Brian, in front the water master, smiled as the baby tried consistently to make a grab for his tail, which the earth guardian waved in front of his face.  Chris was slightly off from the huddle, massaging the spot that had fallen prey to a demi-saiyin's powerful gums.

"Yes, well, I'm such a likeable person."  At this, Brian _really_ laughed.  Passing him a look, Andre strolled across the room, baby in tow.  At first, Bulma became startled when he walked up to her, yet his light smile reassured her.  Slowly, he presented Trunks to the scientist and whispered, "Try rubbing ice on his gums.  That should help."

Vegeta sneered at this action, and crossed the room to Andre. "So, you four are the all-powerful guardians Kakkorot has told us so much about?"  Nodding, The water guardian's face turned grim.  Slowly, the saiyin prince looked from one guardian to the next, studying them.  The one with wings and the one with a tail, though relaxed, seemed to carry themselves with pride; like soldiers.  The other two seemed far more casual; the blue one like his third-class rival, the girl fragile-looking, much like how he depicted most of the women of this race.  

These were the so-called guardians of fire, earth, water, and wind.

The proud Vegeta prince threw back his head, and laughed.

          The light blue of the planet Neptune shined against the dark backdrop of space and it's glitter of stars.  Slowly, the planet's seemingly inhuman gleam started to darken and dull.  The cause belonged to the _Jargal_, Mori's prized battle cruiser.  Behind it, other large transport ships followed suite.  The invading ships pressed on like a swarm of locusts.  

          "Master Mori, entrance to the Solar System has proven successful.  We will pass into the system's inner ring in five minutes."  Jara turned from her control panel to the command chair behind her.  Confused at what she saw, she stood up and walked to the center of the control room to the chair.  Of course, seated upon it was the god Mori; it was his form that had caught her eye.  In light of the occasion, Mori took the form of a human, a thirty-year-old looking man with an afro, a muscular body, and a thick mustache.  Any human would recognize it in a second; the so-called hero, Hercule Satan.  

          Despite the seriousness of their situation, what being so close to the set destination, it took Jara all within her willpower not to release even the slightest indication of amusement.  "Um… sir… if you don't mind my asking, where exactly did you acquire the idea for your current selection of a form?"

          The human smiled.  "As I went over the last reports on this planet, the form you see caught my interest.  This human seems to be very well-known amongst his people."  Even if there was no intent, the voice was thick with bravado.  To Jara, it seemed whoever owned that body lived with an ego bigger than that animal on the human's head, resembling hair.  In her thinking, the purple-clad warrior almost didn't hear Mori's next words.  "Speaking of which, what is the most recent report from our scouts?"

          Jara recalled the transmission from the planet.  From what she had seen, the Earth was not as inadequate for their needs as she had first assumed.  "From what we gathered, the planet _does_ have a variety of powerful warriors that will be useful to the army.  As a matter of fact, we have found that there are approximately nine warriors who possess the power of energy manipulation, the highest number on any planet."  She watched as the master rubbed his chin in interest and excitement.  "Unfortunately…" his expression faltered.  "Something rather unexpected has come up.  Apparently, like some of the higher level planets, some of the Earth's beings have made contact with their  elemental guardians."

            The high-ranking officer closed her eyes and turned away, afraid of her master's wrath.  She knew how Mori reacted when he found out that the guardians were involved in a takeover.  Sure, it didn't help the defending planet much, but still…  When nothing occurred, Jara slowly opened her eyes to see Mori back in the chair.  With a knowing smile, he clicked away at some of the buttons in his armchair.  Curious, Jara moved to the chair, yet was stopped as a large view-screen materialized in front of her.

          Four separate screens appeared in front of Mori.  After a moment, an image came into view on each one; the elemental guardians of Earth.  It showed not only their current appearance, but other statistics, such as Chris' wingspan, Brian's tail's sensitivity and function, and previous monumental events caused by the guardians, such as memorial weather disasters, were shown.  The god passed his gaze from one guardian to the next, before pressing another button.  Now, three of the four screens faded, leaving Chris' screen in front of Mori.  Suddenly, he started to shift, but Jara couldn't see why.  Then, she understood; two gold wings appeared from behind the screen.

          The last view screen faded, and their on the alter stood Christopher, the fire guardian.  He smirked as the gold wings stretched to the sides.  "You know, fire guardians always were the most fool-hardy of the four; they always thought they could lead their planet to victory.  Well, no matter.  These guardians will be no problem, just like all the others."  He ran a hand through a wing.  "And when this planet is completed, we shall release my army on the four vast galaxies." 

          Jara did a double take.  Her voice caught in her throat.  _He's finally decided to go all-out?  No more gathering soldiers from planets?  NOW??  Why now?  What the heck is so important about that Earth?_

Gazing as if lost in his own, Mori forgot for a moment that his subordinate was still there.  Snapping back into reality, he turned his face to her.  "You can leave now."  Though he said it as though liberating a child to the outdoors, Jara knew what he meant; You _will_ leave now.  And she did.  

          Something still bothered her three minutes later, and three floors down from the barge's main center.  Normally, it was used to test samples of new species, to see analyze their physical abilities/limitations.  Currently, she was going about her routine exercises.  As she landed after her high crescent kick, she almost lost her footing.  The woman fumbled on her feet, but soon stabilized herself, pulling a stray strand of hair from her face.  Her mind strayed to the planet Earth, faster than the _Jargal_could have gotten her body.

          As far as she had worked with the god Mori, the main objective had always been to find a new planet, with new interesting creatures.  And once and a while, he would always bring up the planet Earth.  When they went to Yardrat, the master underwent a fit of cackles when I gave him the coordinates for Earth found in the planet's medical banks.  Since then, the fleet has been ordered on a beeline, stopping only at a few other planets on the way.  She knew that this had something to do with one carrying the name "Eltori", but that was all she knew.  

          She continued to push her body, in attempt to put aside her nagging mind for now.  Kick.  Jump.  Punch.  Crouch.  Kick.  Uppercut.  Heel drop.  Block.  Strike.  Flip.  Kain.  _Kain__!?!_

Shocked, Jara couldn't reposition her body to land.  Fortunately, she landed right in a pair of strong arms.  She glanced up to see Kain, an officer like herself, grinning from ear to ear.  As he put her down, Jara also saw Stary, another officer. This one giggled into her hand. Mori collected four major commanding officers, one from each Galaxy.  These four, Mori spared them from the fate as all his other recruits.  Kain was from the west, Stary the east, Jara herself the south, and the one from the north galaxy was currently stationed at Earth, leading the undercover part of the attack on Earth.     

          "You gotta watch ya' self, Ja."  Kain replied; he loved using that accent.  "You know to watch ya'self.  Whaz wrong?"

          Sighing, Jara shrugged.  "It's the whole Earth thing.  I know he's after this Eltori person, but I don't see why that calls for all the heated attention to a place that's hardly in the universal computer banks."

          "You mean you don't know?"  Jara and Kain turned to Stary, who rang her ponytail impatiently.  "You obviously forget; Master Mori has been invading planets long before we came along."

          Kain placed his hands on his hips.  "Meaning?"  But before Stary could answer, the whole ship started to rock wildly; the armada was moving through the asteroid belt.

            The four guardians glared at the saiyin prince as his arrogant laughter rang like a bell through the room.  Everyone else was glancing warily from Vegeta to the four.  They all knew that Vegeta was-once again- going into territory he shouldn't tread in.

          "You really expect a grand warrior like myself to simply stand aside as these four do their little parlor tricks?"  He smirked.  "Even if you four do have the powers of this planet, I could destroy the planet in an instant."

          Yamcha spoke up.  "Though I hate to agree with Vegeta, he's right.  I think even without energy abilities, you four should leave this to those with a little more battle experience.  We have done this sort of thing before."  A note of pride was evident in his voice.

          Bad Idea.

          Immediately, the group noticed a sudden increase in the temperature of the room.  The guardians were infuriated.  As Chris slowly stepped forward, he unwillingly began exerting his power, causing the room to heat up.  The red gem shined on his head.

          "How.  Dare.  You."  Christopher was starting to shake, and he closed in on Yamcha.  "We guardians serve, and work, and suffer, and oversee this entire planet, and have done so for longer than you have ever imagined."  He waved his arm, and the couch facing away from him was moved forcefully to the wall; not thrown, but it had a few scorch marks.  Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Tien all jumped up and backed away, a little nervous at the sudden increase in heat.  Yamcha started to sweat.  "And you have the nerve to think that in your-_puny_-lifetime, you could do what we canno-"

          "Now, Chris," Danielle interrupted.  "I'm sure they have reason to think what they do.  After all, they've never actually seen what we are capable of."  Before Chris could react, his eyes went wide.  Slowly, he turned to Danielle, her green gem on her forehead.  They turned to Brian and Andre, and after a moment, their gems appeared as well.  Then, grinning, they all turned their heads toward the Z-fighters.

          The group became nervous, but calmed down as the heat in the room faded, and Brian smiled.  "How's about this?  We understand how most of you like to think.  Especially you, Vegeta."  Before he could say anything, he continued.  "You think your power is greater than our own.  So tell me; why don't you prove it?"

          Everyone else stood still; Vegeta looked intrigued.  "Um, Brian?"  Gohan cut in.  "Are you sure you guys should do this?"

          "Oh yes, Gohan.  We're sure.  The ki dampers aren't up yet, so you all can fight with your normal powers.  What do you say; Elemental Guardians vs. Earth's Special Forces?"  Each fighter carried the same look on their face; curiosity.  _ These fighters need to learn a little about modesty; even if they all worked to fight Cell, they are not as great as they think._

          "Very well then.  I look forward to seeing what you _children_ can do."  Vegeta looked around at the four.  "Well, how do you want to break off the fighting?"

          The guardians glanced smugly to themselves.


	13. Descent

Chapter 13; Descent 

          //Alright, I say we should fight them all at once.//  Andre made the first suggestion as the guardians planned on which of them should fight which Z-fighter.  Of course, Gohan, Piccolo, Goku, and Chi-Chi would not participate.  Being from both groups, Chris thought it wasn't fair to make them pick one over the other.  Only the "pure" Z-fighters would participate in the bout.

          //That might not be the best idea,// Brian remarked.  //Remember, the last thing we need are tensions among allies.  We should not try to mock them.  I suggest four simple rounds of one-on-one.//

          //That will take all day!  I want to fight now!//  Andre was irritated.  //These people need to be shown their proper place.//

          Personally, all four agreed on that topic.  They understood that the power the Z-fighters was unlike any other seen before; who else in the four galaxies could become a super saiyin?  The problem resided in the fact that these fighters believed that all their power made them _all-_powerful_.  _They failed to grasp the fact that they had to sit out of this battle; to them, no force in the world could stop them.  This kind of bravado had proved the fall of most of the great universal races, including the saiyins.  There was only one productive, yet cruel, method about making the Z-team realize they were not who they believed.

          Beat that belief strait into the ground.

          //Alright, listen.  Brian is right; despite their disrespect, the last thing we need is a quarrel with them.//  Danielle made an attempt to alleviate some of the tension set by the conflict.  //However, Andre also has a point; we did schedule some training this afternoon, we shouldn't lavish too much time on fighting.  How about this; four battles of one-on-one, at the same time?//

          Glancing to one another, Andre and Brian shifted their gaze back to her.  Pausing for a moment, concurring with one another, they agreed.  //Fine.//

          //Fine.//

          //Fine.//

          Meanwhile, Chris rubbed his forehead with his finger, and sweatdropped.  //When did they decide to ignore me?//

          The rest of the residence in the room stared be mused at the guardians.  Throughout their telepathic discussion, the four's expressions continued to flux with no apparent reason.  Doubt, consideration, occasionally even anger.  Christopher actually seemed crestfallen at one point.

          "Umm…Miss Briefs?"  They all had forgotten that Naki was still in the room.  "Are they alright ma'am?"  

          Bulma slowly shook her head.  "Of course… there's nothing to worry about…"  Concerned, she didn't want her assistant in the immediate area when hell broke loose.  "Naki, could you please cancel my appointments for today?  Simply explain that an extreme personal matter has just arisen."

          "Certainly, Miss Briefs."  As he left, Bulma didn't even think to correct his formality.  The scientist turned to the doorway and watched him leave, almost not noticing when the guardians focused on the fighters.

          "We're finished."  Bulma jumped at being surprised, the others turning to her.  She blushed, as Danielle continued.  "We will have four one-on-one matches.  Will that be alright?"  She smiled as they all silently agreed.  However, Vegeta _had _to make things worse.

          "Very well.  If that will make the children satisfied, than go right ahead."  He hardly noticed the ground quiver below his feet, or the gleaming diamond gem on Brian's head.  He tilted his head.  "Well?  Your order?"

          Brian gripped his fist.  "Yes… anyway, this is our plan; Danielle will face Eighteen.  Andre will fight Yamcha.  I will fight Tien, and you, Vegeta, get Chris."

          The fire guardian stretched his wings.  "That won't be a problem, will it, o' powerful prince?"  He smirked.

          "Not at all.  At least I get to face the strongest of you "guardians."  He waved his hand to Chris' fellow guardians.  "And while those three face off with the humans, I'll have a real challenge."

          Unknown to the fire youth, Vegeta was simply evaluating his opponent; seeing how he reacts to the comment.  Watching Chris' body tense, he learned that his comment struck a weakness of his; unknown to him, however, was how it was a blow against all of the guardians in general.  In their position as joint care-takers, they considered each other equal; they may have different abilities and places in battle, but they each were as important as themselves.  To have the audacity to claim that one guardian was superior or inferior to another, is a direct offence against all four elements; as if insulting the entire planet.

          "Don't worry Vegeta," Chris replied.  "I'm sure I won't disappoint you."  Then, he folded his arms across his chest, and did the same with his wings over his body.  At his feet, a flash of red light could be seen under the wings, and then a puff of black.  When he unfolded his wings, Chris was back in his traditional guardian attire, his new pants and boots now a pile of ashes on the floor.  "Let's step outside.  Away from the city."

          With a sigh of annoyance, the Saiyin prince followed the guardians as they headed for the door.  Gohan, his parents, and the rest of the Z-fighters followed as well.  Watching them leave, Naki waved farewell to Bulma as they all left.  However, as they passed, he saw the other woman that had arrived run past, yelling:

          "Christopher!  Those boots and pants were brand new!"

          The journey out of the city was much faster and easier than the one coming in.  Since Capsule Corp. was located near the edge of West City, the Z/E-teams could fly off that way.  Mostly everyone used their own energy to fly; those who couldn't, like Bulma, hitched rides.  Even Goku and Piccolo, who hadn't used their own power in a while (under the guardians' training, of course), used this opportunity to feel their own power carry them through the air again.

          The elemental guardians, in the opinions of the "pure" Z-fighters, didn't seem to have much efficiency in their means of transportation.  Chris used a combination of his wings and a constant release of hot air to propel himself forward.  Brian and Andre, in opposition, seemed to have no means of flight, relying on their companions for help in the way Bulma and Oolong did with the others.  The only one that left the Z-team impressed was Danielle; she moved through the air while standing perfectly strait.  Even though the wind blew her hair backward, she appeared to catch no wind resistance; unknown to all there except her friends/students, she force all the wind around her to move in the opposite direction.  In short, she was riding a moving sidewalk.

          Many of the Z-fighters had somewhat startled opinions to Gohan, who had chosen to use his elemental aura, like Chris did.  The fact that he had decided to use that over his own power made the others wonder.  The question that arose became one that would most likely bring new conflict between the two groups; did Gohan truly regard the guardians over themselves?  The ones he had fought beside for so long?

"This will do fine."  Chris and Danielle made a mid-air halt, causing the Z-fighters to follow.  Brian was holding onto Chris, he carrying the earth guardian by his hand like a dead weight.  Andre simply stood next to Danielle with his hand on her shoulder; her own power suspended him as well.  "The battles will begin after Gohan and Goku give the signal.  Let's all spread out, so as not to get in one another's way."  With that, Andre let go of Danielle, and Brian let go of Chris.  The wind guardian rose upward, and the other three descended.  After landing via wings/safety bubble/just landing, they split off into three different directions.  Confused, the four competitors followed.

          About one quarter-mile away from the spectators, Vegeta set foot.  Before him, the guardian of fire stretched his body for the upcoming match.  He removed the orange sash from his waist, and tied it around his head like a bandana.  Then, he moved his shoulders and one wing back, sliding his red robe off of them.  With the other wing, he tossed the robe aside, it landing with a loud thud behind him.  "One moment, please.  I need to make one last adjustment."  

          The prince raised his hand, signaling to proceed; Meanwhile, he started to stretch himself; _Why not; it may be a good warm-up._

          Nodding, Chris spread his wings wide to his sides.  At first, nothing seemed to occur.  But then, the lining of his feathers started to fade; they carried the appearance that they were melting.  Vegeta stopped stretching, dumfounded as Chris' wings began to slick over and shine.  Soon, his two bird-like wings became-

          "Cell's wings… that freakish android's wings!"  Vegeta cursed.  The wings resembled those of Cell in his perfect form, glistening gold.  With a sharp flap, he lifted from the ground, and hung an inch from the ground in midair.  

          "What do you think Vegeta?  I like to assume this form during these types of matches."  Despite his former surprise, the saiyin only huffed.  Chris smiled.  _I think I'm getting into 'his' head this time._

Remembering what Chris had said to them, Gohan and Goku prepared for their part.  Gohan pointed his finger to his forehead, and then strait out in front of him.  A single red light shot from his fingertip.  As the light faded off, it started to move upward.  When it started to curve back to the group.  Then, Goku raised his hand over his head and fired a small stone.  The stone climbed upward, and the red light headed for it-

          A flash of red light filled the sky.  

          "NOW!!"

**          "**Soul Chortet, come to me!"

          The spaceship "_Jargal__"_ was in full swing as the fleet reached the planet Earth.  Simple cloaking devices kept all of the ships from Earth's radars, and most of them hid behind the planet's moon.  Only Mori's personal cruiser and a few drop-ships were moving in for now.  It was time to drop the first wave of soldiers, to secure a planet-bound base of operations.  Mori called his generals to send them off.

          Jara was adorned in her traditional dark purple armor.  Kain's was fashioned in a forest green; the helmet coming to a point near his eyes had two yellow gems on each side, resembling the head of a dragon.  Stary brought her hair into a long braid, falling behind her; she covered the tips of her hair with sharp metal tips, a favorite weapon of hers.  Like Jara, Stary wore a set of dark purple body armor.  These three stood before the powerful god, the forth missing from their group. 

          Mori turned away from the three, gazing up at the planet of white, blue, brown, and green.  "My dears, today we begin our assault on the planet Earth.  This planet will mark the completion of my grand army, with you three leading my ranks!  This is our most important planet."  Then, a laser image of a globe appeared before him.  "We will set up base in these locations."  Several blips appeared on different spots on the globe.  "Any questions?"  Kain and Stary shook their heads, but-

          "Actually, sir?"  Jara stepped forward.  "Something has been bothering us for quite a while; this Eltori person?  Well, we simply wish to understand a little more about the significance of this person to our mission."

          Mori smiled.  He walked up to the now nervous Jara, and ideally stroked her hair.  "Now now, Jara.  You will all soon find out; you just need to be patient.  After all, good things come to those who wait."  Gently, almost fatherly, he placed a kiss on her forehead.  "I suppose I have been keeping an awful lot from you.  But don't worry; I think you'll find the wait worth it."  He raised his voice to ring out through the control room.  "Very well then!  Let us all descend; it's time for the harvest."

The crowd found the four matches to be quite exciting; in reality, they were all quite an even match.  To the elemental side, they an edge by surprise; not only did they know the skills of the Z-fighters, but they also caught the others off guard with their own _unique _abilities.  To the Z-fighters side, they had the advantage of their speed; with the ability to move at the speed of sound and beyond, they clearly outdid the guardians there.  So, needless to say, the two groups had underestimated the other in ability.  However, with their greater experience of the battlefield, each match slowly began to turn in favor of the guardians.

          With their naturally composed behavior, hardly a single taunt or threat was thrown between Eighteen and Danielle.  Though the guardians did have the ability to sense ki, she was unable to pinpoint the android at times, with no ki to track.  Eighteen would simply charge past Danielle, enough to catch her in a knee blow or a clothes-line before speeding off, preventing a counterattack.  It wasn't until Danielle lost her sandals/scrunchie that a plan struck her.  Halfway into the battle, she went into meditation.  The idea was if she couldn't sense Eighteen, she'd predict the android's point of attack by the disruption of air around her; if the wind shifted unnaturally to her left, that's where she was.  Then, the wind guardian would move to attack in that direction, but first sent a gust of wind to her _from_ that direction; Eighteen would be thrown off guard, and be unable to stop herself from being thrown into the attack.  If she tried to keep her distance, Danielle would conjure a quick (and rather small) cyclone to form at Eighteen's feet; just enough to disorientate her so Danielle could go back on the offensive.

          Andre/Yamcha's match was hardly as thought-out.  After a little basic hand-to hand-combat, Andre decided to have a little fun; he filled the air where they were fighting in basket-ball size, dark blue bubbles.  The way it worked, realized by the bystander Piccolo, was similar to that trick which he himself used in his match with Android Seventeen.  If Yamcha came into contact with any of them, they would explode, knocking him forward, and into a heap of trouble at times.  In his battle, the desert bandit was constantly on thin ice.  Well, more so than a fighter already is in a spar.

          The pairing of Brian and Tien proved to be the most classical; a good-ol'-fashion brawl.  Fists flying, grapples, swipes at the feet, the whole nine yards.  Of course, Tien learned rather quickly to stick to the skies; Brian couldn't fly, so then he'd have to work far-range.  This was better for Tien than Brian, but if Tien landed, big trouble.  Brian would materialize huge hands from the rock below to trap one of his feet, leaving him pinned while the two ducked it out on the ground.  In a way, this aggravated Tien, but not in the normal fashion; he knew Brian could have restrained his whole body.  Even now, the earth guardian went easy on him.

          An hour passed before three of the four matches ended.  Result: victory to all three guardians, but not without getting a massive scuffling.  The entire Z-fighters were devastated; the fact that their famous team of defenders was defeated by four (seemingly) kids, who just came out of the blue, was embarrassing.  Tien returned with his head down, and Yamcha/Eighteen with a peeved attitude.

          "It was only a simple match," Danielle tried to reassure them.  "It doesn't really matter anyway; we're all working on the same side."  Even though she was trying to be nice, though, the three guardians were secretly all thinking the same thing:

          The humans had learned to respect them, and their place.

          "Say Brian, what exactly happened to Chris?  He looks different than before."  Goku was observing the remaining battle; Vegeta and Chris.  The two continued to fight, leaving flashes of color, and surges of heat.  Goku, as well as Gohan and some of the others, noticed that Chris bared a slightly different appearance than before

          Andre looked to see.  "Oh, that is a form Chris assumes for close-range combat.  He sheds his robe to improve his body's range of movement.  When he slicks over his wings, he can't fly as well, but it improves his agility; he uses them to improve his cornering and movement when in a tight spot."  Their students were fascinated; even Chi-Chi, who Goku had showed a while ago to see from their distance.

          Bulma was getting aggravated.  "Well, I can't see a thing," The scientist huffed.  She kicked at a rock near her feet, behind where the others were watching the fight.  "That Vegeta…He always has to drag these out, make sure he's the bes-"

          However, Bulma was cut off by the hand that muffed her mouth.        

          A/N:  I am very sorry to all of my readers.  I know it's been three months since I last posted.  I've had many things keeping me from posting.  I hope I don't sound to whiny, making excuses, but I did try to work when I could.  I had a school musical for two months, a bad time in math, and a great deal of stress from my other classes.  Despite these, I will try to be much more tenacious in writing.  Also, an apology to Chrystian and Travis for making you guys wait.  

          This chapter was a little difficult, and I had a few problems with it.  Please review, and give any advice you could; I'm planning to revise, and it would be a big help. 


	14. Judegment of Life

Chapter 14; The Judgment of Life 

          Incarcerated remains of plant life could be found scattered along the dry, barren terrain.  The thrashing about of the two remaining competitors ravaged the last signs of life.  Now, only the arrogant prince, Vegeta, and the guardian of the flame, Christopher, were left.  They never lost a beat through their entire fight; and even now, they revealed no signs of wear.  

          Vegeta grabbed Chris' leg, in a moment where he tried to gain some air.  Before he could act, Vegeta threw the boy into the ground, a crater in his wake.  However, he launched himself back into the fight as soon as he stopped; he had been surprised, but not hurt.  When Vegeta made another charge at Chris, a quick flap of his new wings shot him upward, just enough to avoid the attack.  Caught off guard, the prince fell pray to a kick directly in the face by the guardian.

          "Quick little wasp, aren't you?"  Chris only smiled.

          _I have had just about enough of this, _Vegeta mused.  _This battle should have ended long ago, and I will die before I let some…**child**…defeat me.  _With that, the saiyin planted his feet, and began to power up.  His power began to make its way through his body, and then toward his palms.  He bought his hands back; Vegeta was preparing his Galat Gun.

          "Typical."  That's all Chris said. Then, standing directly in the prince's path, he brought his arms to his sides, clenched his fists, and raised his forearms.  "Energy Disruption Field!" he yelled.  His body was immediately encased in a dark red light.  The heat around him rose to even more excruciating levels than before.   Despite this, Vegeta's rising ki persevered; that weak little energy shield would not protect the guardian, in his eyes.

          "This match is over!  Time to bow to the Saiyin Prince!  GALAT GUN FIRE!"  With that, Vegeta thrust his life-force forth, and the dark blue beam lanced toward the fire guardian.  He smirked as the beam neared closer; however, it quickly faded when no explosion ensued.  In fact, the blast didn't even touch him.  Before the blast got to close, the energy seemed to weaken and disperse, brushing right past him.  He only stared as the paradoxical guardian grinned back at him.

          "Sorry, but the law of man doesn't command the law of the planet.  I'm afraid you won't be seeing _these_ guardians bowing to you."  With that, he spread his arms wide.  "Fire Crescent!"  He clapped his hand at waist level, and opened them wide again, creating a red arc in the motion his hands made.  Several red sickles propelled from the one Chris made, sizziling the air as they passed.  Of course, Vegeta faded before the crescents could touch him.  Vigilant for the prince, the guardian raised his hand again, to strike at a moment's notice.  Then, he lowered his wings to see behind him.  When he did this, Vegeta saw his moment, reappeared from behind, and wrapped his arms around Chris, pinning his wings and his other arm.  Only the arm raised for the retaliation was free.

          "Very well.  Mabye being grounded with broken wings will persuade your attitude."  He tightened his grip, squeezing Chris in his tight embrace.

          "_My_ attitude?  You're not exactly a _chivalrous_ prince yourself; that was a cold trick."  Emphasizing the pun of his comment, Chris held a shout; he was hurt, but he wouldn't show it to Vegeta.  Then, he thought of a counter; using his two arms, one over his head and one held to his side, he pinned Vegeta's arms against his body.  "So how about I heat things up a little?"

          Immediately, he increased the temperature around his body.  Now stuck to the guardian, Vegeta felt his skin begin to burn and his hairs starting to singe.  The heat distracted him; he couldn't focus.  Instead, he just continued to squeeze.  Now it was a face-off; Vegeta could crush Chris, or Chris could burn Vegeta to a toasty, but still living, crisp.  It was the battle of who would fail first.

          Chris felt his chest starting to cave in; the breath caught in his throat-

          Vegeta felt the invisible force tear through his body; his head was reeling from the heat, and his skin was starting to blacken-

          "VEGEETAAAAA!!!"  

          Time froze in a single moment as the two dropped everything; Vegeta's arms separated, and Chris' heat dropped like a candle in the wind.  Chris looked off to where the rest of the Z-fighters had been watching.  "That was Bulma!"  With a flap, his stiff wings shifted to their bird-like state.  "We can finish this later; something's up with the group."  He kicked off the ground, and made flight toward his companions.

          Agitated, Vegeta powered up, and shot off after him.

Thirteen angry faces faced ahead; the three guardians, their four students, Krillen, Master Roshi, Eighteen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu.  Two frightened individuals, Puar and Oolong, looked on from behind the others.  Before them, the scientist Bulma stared ahead, eyes wide with fear.  A large hand blocked her mouth, and the other forced her hands behind.  This person had a strong build, with short blonde hair and a pair of sunglasses.  The other man was of a similar build, with short black hair; he had green eyes, yet they appeared clouded, almost like he was blind.  He now held the crying Trunks in his hands.  They both wore black leather, and white tee-shirts underneath their jackets.

          "Listen, buddy," Roshi snarled.  "I don't know who you think you are, but get you're hand off the girl."  He stepped forward, and coiled his fingers to pose an attack.

          "_Do not attempt an attack, Master Roshi of the Turtle Hermit fighting style; our business is not with you."_  Quietly, the green-eyed man leaned his head to the side, releasing a loud snapping noise.  _"Guardians of the earth, wind and water; the Grand Kami Mori has requested your presence."_

The guardians and students froze.  _It's Mori's influence!  He's already begun taking the souls of Earthlings, _Danielle thought.  Under closer recognition, she identified the two as those she had seen in West City; the ones she believed had been the two that tried to previously assault them.  In haste, the seven assumed a defensive position.  

          Brian asserted himself to the front of the group, and outstretched his arm.  "Soulless drones! This planet is under our protection.  If you make any hostile action toward Bulma or the rest of these people, I will open fire!"

          The one with shades grinned.  _"You will not.  You would risk injuring the scientist, Ms. Bulma Briefs.  Are you willing to chance her safety?"  _Pause.  _"I thought so.  Now; where is the guardian of fire?"_

"Right here!"

          Shades' expression only had time to turn to shock, his mouth opening slightly.  At his neck, a dark red hand burst forth, scolding the skin around it.  His head was thrown back, and his sunglasses fell off; It revealed to brown eyes, also clouded over.  The rest of the group stared in horror.  Using the distraction, Bulma quickly knocked herself away from him. 

          "Incinerate!"  Chris let out a scream, and Shades was engulfed in a pillar of fire.  Alarmingly, no scream or sign of pain was emitted.  Also, the green-eyed man only looked startled at the new development; he seemed not to notice (or care) for the fate of his companion.  

          Soon, only a puff of ash remained.  Without missing a beat, Chris propelled himself forward, grabbing Bulma.  He flapped his wings, and carried her into the air.  Despite the scientist's screams at her sudden condition, he managed to carry her to a safer altitude.  //BRIAN, NOW!//

          Brian smirked.  "Pebble Storm!"  A yellow hole opened up in his hand, and a barrage of pebbles released from it.  At the rate they were released, the rocks tore strait into the second man's flesh.  Red holes seemed to simply appear on his body.  Oolong covered his mouth, and Chi-Chi screamed; the rest just watched in terror as the last of the stalkers fell.

          Chris softly landed on the ground, Bulma in tow.  As they did, Bulma turned on the fire guardian.  Apparently (from his confused expression), whatever reaction she would have given him, he did not expect anger.  "HOW COULD YOU?!?"  She was fuming.  "You just murdered two people!  Even if you are guardians, you have no right to do that!  In fact, you have the least justification for that!"

          "And why is that?"  Danielle spoke up.  "Miss Bulma, why do you believe Christopher and Brian should not have killed those two men?"

          The scientist blanched.  "Well, I th-thought that maybe we, we could try to, to…" However, she could think of nothing.

          "Exactly.  These people are no longer people; they are zombies, their bodies raped of the minds and spirits they once held.  They probably did not even know what they were saying; they were given instructions on what to say, based on our reactions and own words."  The wind guardian continued.  "There would be no point in detaining or capturing them; they would simply continue to attempt carrying out their original task.  There souls are forever lost."

          The whole group felt a chill run up their spine.  "So then, the only way to stop Mori's forces, is to kill them?" Chi-Chi looked like she was about to cry.

          Chris lowered his head.  "Yes, I'm afraid so.  The four of us must resort to death to stop his assault.  And, even more to the point, we will have to call upon you four to do the same."

          Piccolo knew this would not be easy.  He glanced to the Son family.  _This will be hard to take for them, especially considering who they are.  Goku…who holds the preservation of life in the highest regard.  Chi-Chi… who in her lifetime, has never brought the hand of death upon another human (or in that sense, intelligent) being.  Gohan…_

"Gohan?"  He looked around.  "Where is he?"  The others scanned the area, until Chaiotzu spotted him; a blazing red rocket firing away.  He used his flame aura again; noone had noticed his departure.

          "Oh no."  Andre stared after the demi-saiyin.  "I guess that was a big blow to him."

          Piccolo closed his eyes.  "I'll follow him."  With that, he gathered his energy and shot into the sky.

          Chris glanced after the namekian.  "I believe we should try to aid as well."  He turned to his comrades.  "Guardians!  We're moving out!"  At that, the planet overseers prepared to leave, Danielle apologizing to Chi-Chi and Goku for making Gohan leave.

          Andre looked around himself, and sighed.  Now where's Brian?  He didn't go already did he?"

          Some distance off from the rest of the group, a certain prince glared at them.  _Weaklings.  A true warrior should know that in battle, humanization, as they call it, it too risky.  Kakkarot and his mate will have to see their opponents as nothing more than obstacles._

          "The voice of experience, I presume?"  The earth guardian stealthly confronted Vegeta.  He felt awkward confronting him in this gridlock, considering he was still wearing the jeans and other clothing articles Chi-Chi gave him.  Still, he maintained his rigid stance; his tail thrashed at his side.  "Why didn't you attempt to save her?"

          Vegeta sighed.  _Not this again.  He sounds like Mirai.  _"Who?"

          As Brian's glare changed to shock, Vegeta could almost copy the reply, said earlier by the boy from the future. "Who?  Bulma and Trunks, your son!  That's who!"  

          Vegeta glared right back.  "They are not my concern.  Your friends seemed to have full control of the situation on their own."

          Brian's retort was cut off by the arrival of said guardians.  Chris lowered to the ground, and waited for him; the others were eager to catch up to Gohan.  Knowing their desire to make haste, he turned to leave.  But before he did, he called out to the saiyin.  "I wonder if King Vegeta would approve of that as _proper_ royal conduct."

          Vegeta's jaw dropped in shock\fury, but the four left before he could compose a reaction.

          And so, the four matches between the Z-fighters and elemental guardians ended; three wins for the guardians, and one undecided.

          Drop.  Drop.  Drop.

          Gohan watched as water dripped from the edge of his nose, into his lake.  Back at his secluded sanctuary, he had plunged his head beneath the liquid surface, his face already staring to burn up.  The realization presented by the guardians had reopened some old (and powerful) wounds.  As he landed, the emotional and mental torment caused the young demi-saiyin to fall to his knees, and expel what had previously taken residence in his stomach.  Washing out his mouth, he moved as though in a daze.

          The sleeves of his white formal shirt were drenched with the water.  Pulling them back down, he stared down at his hands.  _Will I have to take more lives?  What will happen if I lose myself again?  The Cell Games… they'll happen all over again.  _He curled into a fetal position, and shivered.  _Will the history of my mistakes be forced to repeat themselves?_

 As he sat there amidst the softly tousled grass, he hardly noticed as his first mentor landed.  Using a gentle air that he only used around Gohan, Piccolo removed his cape and wrapped it around the child.  "You could catch a cold if you don't get dried off soon."  He sat down, cross-legged, next to his pupil.  

          Turning to Piccolo, Gohan tried feudally to regain his composure in front of his teacher.  Failing, his mental wall, used to block his feelings from others, burst.  He wretched his face, and buried his face in Piccolo's lap.  The namekian soothingly ran his hand through the boy's hair, as muffed cries of misery escaped him.  "It's alright, Gohan.  Go ahead."  

          Gohan's lips quivered as he wiped his eyes.  "I…I d-don't want to… to kill again.  It only brings more killing, and then more suffering for someone else.  Why should I, or any of us in fact, have to be reduced to murder?"

          Piccolo looked across the lake.  "Gohan, you must understand that in this scenario, killing and murder are not the same thing.  Murder is considered the elimination of a living _soul_; with these soldiers the guardians talk of, they have no souls.  That is considered only killing; the elimination of a living _body_."

          Gohan stared at Piccolo as he continued.  "Think about it in this way;  The people who become soldiers of Mori go to Other World, for their souls have been lost.  And, like those who go to Other World, they could be returned to the Earth with the use of the dragonballs.  However, their bodies are still alive and being used on Earth; for a rebirth wish to take effect, the body must pass on.  As long as the bodies of the victims remain, they cannot be restored by the Eternal Dragon."

          "Therefore, you must not think of it as taking lives; rather, as allowing those lived to come back again."  The two turned behind to see Chris as he spoke.  The others were behind him.  Slowly, they walked to the edge of the lake, the grass parting below their feet.  The four sat on the edge, on Gohan's other side.  "Hey.  We thought you would be here; we didn't need to follow Piccolo to lead us."  

          Brian massaged his temples.  "We understand how you feel about killing.  Believe me, noone understands that feeling better than the five of us.  But Gohan, you must trust us here; you are _not_ taking the lives of others."

          Gohan seemed to compose himself now, but what Brian said unnerved him for a moment.  "What do you mean by that?  When have you killed before?"

          Danielle sadly spoke.  "Well, you most certainly know how Piccolo was before he met you; he was you're father's worst enemy.  He ended many lives in his time.  And as for us…"  She swallowed a lump in her throat.  "We control the elements of nature, correct?  Well, who do you think control's its natural disasters?     The ones that take innocent lives every day?"

          A/N: I'm sorry about all of this.  I have had so much trouble with keeping up with school and this.  I just hope everyone will just hold on a little longer.

          I made a cliffhanger!  If it wasn't that great, please tell me.

          Also, I'm going to take a small break from posting new chapters for a little while (as if postings haven't already been far and few).  Recent e-mails brought to my attention the constant issue of spelling and grammar in my work.  So, I will try to repost some old chapters after revision, before moving on to the next.

          Remember, all reviews/constructive criticism/flames are welcome.   


	15. Conflict

Chapter 15; Conflict

          "All natural disasters in the world are caused by us," Brian replied.  "Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and such; we are the ones responsible."  He sadly lowered his head.

          Stunned, Gohan ran these revelations through his head.  "Why?"  He just didn't understand; if they had such power, why did they deliberately use it to take lives, if at all?

          "Andre threw a small rock into the pond.  "It was never our decision.  Sometimes it was done to release the element's pent up energies.  Other times, it was to keep a balance; a drought in one place can cause extreme rain in another, saving it from failing crops and such.  Still, there are those occasions where we must do show to prove we can."  Realizing how malice the comment appeared, he continued.  "It's the same reason we agreed to bouts with the other Z-fighters.  Points in history come along where humans believe they have power over everything; not just the planet, but over the other species they coexist with.  So, we must act to show humans-not all, mind you-that they are not all what they seem."

          Nodding, Gohan appeared to understand.  Chris stretched his back, laying on the ground; he continued.  "Lives begin and end everyday; that is how life is.  By accepting this fact, we have been able to continue our duties as guardians.  We don't like it, but we learn to live with it."  Despite Chris' point, a wavering in his voice was quite distinct.

          _Opening old wounds.__  I know that all to well.  _Gohan gave a bittersweet smile, and stood up.  "You're all right; I apologize."  He wiped his eyes.  "I have been selfish, and made you relive past events as a result.  I realize now that I cannot continue to blame myself for taking lives at this point; it won't help anyway.  All I can do is fight to save those who remain.  Right?"

          Piccolo was astonished; such a growth in acceptance seemed not like him, and for the better.  The other guardians all smiled back, Danielle wiped a tear from her eye.  "Yes, well, I suppose we should meet up with Goku and Chi-Chi; they're probably waiting for us with your friends."

          "Alright."  Gohan gathered his energy and lifted himself from the ground in a fiery propulsion.  Taking Brian's hand, they shot into the sky; Danielle (Andre in tow) followed suite.  Chris was about to take off, but was stopped when a hand fell onto his shoulder.

          "Chris,"Piccolo said.  He seemed at a loss for what to say.  "I…have to commend you four.  I have never seen Gohan more comfortable around others before, and you seem to be able to reach Gohan in ways the rest of us never have."

          Chris turned to him.  "We've watched him for a long time, so we know how he thinks and feels.  As I'm sure you know."  In response to Piccolo's surprise, Chris said, "The others told me how you overheard them talking, back when we started training.  Yes, it's true we have been concealing some of Gohan's worse moments.  But please understand; we only wanted to protect his privacy, and we knew he'd never admit to you how he felt.  So, we saw no point in worrying you."

          Piccolo nodded.  "I suppose you're right.  Anyway…thank you all."  With that he began to lift off, before-

          "However, there is something you should know.  About the souls of Mori's victims."

          Chris unfurled his wings and flapped up to eye level, with the namekian.  His face was down.  "You see, what you told Gohan was not…_entirely _true.  Typically, yes, the souls of the deceased go to Other World."  He raised his head, the guardian's face with a look of worry.  "However, those whose souls are taken by the kami Mori…they don't go to Other World.  They are not on the spiritual or physical plain."

          Piccolo gasped.

          "That is why we are more concerned for those taken by Mori.  That is why feel Mori's name fits him, and why we never could revive them, even after attempting to use the Eternal Dragon ourselves.  The word "Mori" is Latin, from the phrase "Memento Mori"; "remember you are destined to die."  Roughly translated, Mori means "Death."  That's why the name works so well; he is a god of death.  Not death of the flesh…"  Chris' eyes began to mist.

          "But death of the soul."

          "I still don't trust the four of them."

          The cat-like Puar glanced at her companion, Yamcha, from his shoulder.  He continued to rant about the four guardians who had made their appearance and departure, almost an hour ago.  Everyone had re-gathered at Bulma's home, back in the same living room as before.  Still with a few scrapes and scars (as well as some damp clothes), the former desert bandit had not taken kindly to his defeat.

          Puar had been with Yamcha long enough to know where his pride started and ended.  He had long accepted the fact that he would never rival the power of the saiyins; this truly struck him during the Cell Games, as one of the Cell juniors broke his arm.  In this case, however, the fact that these four (in a way) were humans as well, yet were still stronger than the Z-fighters, made him and the others a little uneasy.  In the metamorph's opinion, it wouldn't be surprising if some of the fighters found their own significance as Earth's protectors in question.

          _He thinks the problem's with him, and wants to pass the blame onto others before they think the same, _she thought.  She gazed with worry at Yamcha as he griped.

          "For people who claim to want to help us, these four sure didn't fell inclined to help us during all our other escapades.  Why did they decide to help us now?  I say, there's too much we don't know about them."

          "Oh, suck it up, Yamcha."  Bulma had taken to the guardians' defense after her rescue.  "You're just mad because that Andrew kid beat you in your match.  If you're so inquisitive, you should just ask the four of them what you want to know."

          "Why thank you, Ms. Bulma; but my name is Andre."

          The six reentered the house, Gohan brining up the rear with a meditative look on his face; apparently, whatever the guardians had said to help the demi-saiyin also gave him a lot to think about.  Tien patted the boy on the back as he sat down next to him.

          "Alright then.  We have a bone to pick to pick with you guardians.  If you four are this powerful, why haven't you _participated _in any of our previous conflicts?"

          The guardians looked among each other in puzzled expressions.  They looked like that should be an obvious question.  "That's simple," Danielle spoke up.  "We're not allowed to."  Seeing the confusion among the Z-fighters, she continued.  As she spoke next, she sounded like a student who memorized a textbook phrase for a teacher.

          "_Code of the Guardian,_ Article 2, sub-article 5; elemental guardians are not to interfere in the defense of the planet from foreign invasion or in situations which can be resolved by the sentient species."  Even though we are guardians, our original purpose was to maintain the four forces of the planet; not protect it for you.  This was crucial, as it has on most planets, in the planet's species' development.  Especially concerning you all; if we took care of Raditz and Frieza for you, you'd never work to become as strong or experienced as you have."

          Tien looked to the floor.  "That's true.  The threat of a foreign planetary attack has served as our drive and motivation to become stronger."

          "Right," Brian continued.  "To be honest, we're not supposed to be helping you against Mori.  However, we guardians have agreed that because he is a universal threat, and would simply spread from planet to planet, we may assist in this case."

          After which, the entire room was once again thrown into an awkward silence, just like before.  The guardians had gotten the message; no support would be coming from the Earth's special forces.  Though it wasn't favorable, the guardians couldn't force them either; this was their choice.

          The fire guardian threw up his hands.  "Fine.  If you don't believe us, you don't have to.  But when the fighting starts, just stay out of our way, alright?"  Evidently, Chris had lost his patience.  "Goku, Chi-Chi, we'll be returning to the temple.  We'll see you there."  With that, the four guardians up and left (Andre giving a light wave to little Trunks).

          As though conflicting with who to turn to, Gohan eventually decided and left to follow the guardians.

          "Hmph."  Vegeta continued to glare at the doorway as the the rest of the room exploded into conflict.  He was…content…that the guardians had left.  Especially those two, _What__ were they're names?  _Ah, Chris and Brian.  These two had made a direct attack on his pride; Chris through battle, and Brian through his heritage.  What would be more surprising, if not shocking, to any who knew, was that Vegeta contained more contempt toward the _earth_ guardian than the fiery one.

          _They're nothing but children, _he assured himself, turning his attention to the window.  A view of West City before him, his mind slipped into meditation.  _Nothing but children…_

"How long until detonation?"

          Kain checked the computer readout before him.  "I think about ten minutes.  But it might not; I can't make heads or tails o' these readings."  _Stary__ is the computer whiz anyway, _he thought.

          He and Jara were stationed at a newly (and crudely) constructed planetary base, a massive structureten feet underground.  Sensors in the soil would detect any approaching trespasser, either overhead or through tunnels.  Master Mori and Stary had left to see the results of the operation currently underway.

          Much to Kain's annoyance, Jara had been placed in command of the base, meaning he had to listen to her bickering behind his shoulder.  "And your sure the recorded fighters will be inactive by that time?"

          The green-clad general sighed.  "Yes.  The energy negation system was activated already.  But you know it takes awhile to take effect."  He turned back to the monitor.  "Don't worry; it'll be in effect before detonation."

          Jara nodded.  "Excellent.  I will go check on the reports from our orbiting systems."  She turned and left Kain to the monitor.

          He swivled his chair back and forth.  The structure had been a evacuated covert government building; aside from electronics (which were restocked to fit the army's qualifications), many of the articles that had been here originally were still in their place.  Desks, chairs, even water coolers; it made things easier for organization, as Jara couldn't have been more pleased for.

          Kain leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the desk before him.  "Kani's pet."  And so, making sure noone was around, the third most powerful general in Mori's fleet took a quick nap.

          Christopher and Danielle sliced through the air, Brian and Andre in tow.  The wind mistress was concerned if they had made a wise decision.  They had tried to diminish tensions between them and the Earth's special forces, at least for Gohan's sake; she didn't want the others to think he was taking side, which (after seeing a few looks from them to Gohan) they already had.

          Speaking of whom…

          "Chris, guys!  Wait up!"

          The others turned to see Gohan fly up to them, his red fire aura keeping him afloat.  "I hope you all aren't mad with the others.  They just took you guys as a bit of a shock.  Plus, I think they were a bit jealous after you beating them."

          Brian smiled.  "We know, Gohan.  We were just a little impatient.  Time is of the essence, and we want to resolve this matter as soon a-"

          Suddenly, the earth guardian's voice caught in his throat.  The others looked in concern as his eyes began to cloud, and his body started to shake.

          "Danielle, who was supporting him in the air with her power, placed her hand on his forehead.  "Brian?  Are you alright?  Brian?"

          "Bring me to the ground."  His voice barely passes his lips, yet held a tone of determination.  When nothing happened, he regained more of his composure.  "I said lower me to the ground!"  Startled, Danielle decreased her power, and they all landed on burning sand; a desert still in faint view of West City.

          Once on land, the guardian fell to his knees, and placed both of his palms to the ground.  After a moment or two, He vented a burst of air through his teeth.

          "The soil," he cried; his eyes were welling up.  "It's crying out in pain.  Something has just torn itself through the Earth.  It's…"  Brian took another breath, his body overwhelmed.

          "Yes, something is not right."  Chris had gone into meditation, looking to his own power for more insight on the unusual event.  "I've just detected a surge of fire energy nearby.  Chances are, it was an explosion; artificially made."

          Gohan looked to the guardians.  He too was becoming overcome with nerves.  "Where?"

          "There," Andre called, pointing behind the boy.  They all looked in horror to the source of the pain and power.

          The newly burning West City.

          A/N:  I don't know how I can apologize to all of you readers and reviewers who have been waiting for my updates.  I'm not trying to blame others for my problems, but my life has been very hectic this year, throwing all my writing (not just fanfiction) into the backseat.  

My sincerest apologies to all my reviewers.  I hope I still have those who will read and comment on my work.  I will try to speed up posting, and work on revision; but sorry, I can't make guarantees.

I wanted to stop at a cliffhanger.  Problems in plot, grammar, anything?  Please let me know.

Also, one more note.  In an attempt to alleviate tension while people wait for the next part of the series and I'm in a writer's block, I plan to start the "Omake"; one-shot interludes in the story, which act as a side-story to my epic.  They will serve to account for events which can/might occur in my series, but can't really be worked into it effectively.  

Examples; Events before the series, holiday editions, alternate scenes, etc.

If there are any who like/oppose the idea, let me know.

Sorry again, And I hope you've enjoyed my fic thus far.  Rest Assured, I have not turned my back to the world of fanfiction; just forced away, and will now attempt to return.   

              
  



	16. City Under Seige

Chapter 16; City under Seige

          Chaos.

          _It's so...entertaining._

Stary briskly stroked her ponytail, adjusting the metal razors attached to the tips.  She sat Indian-style on the roof of a residential apartment building.  Before her were the teetering buildings that refused to succumb to the force of the placed explosives.  Around her, the sky of West City filled with smoke and ash; people flooded the streets in a panic, all running about in a frantic rush to safety.

          "Any sign of resistance as of yet?"  Mori came up from behind Stary, currently as a Namekian; he had just returned from another section of the city, using the alien's senses to locate his subordinate.

          Surprised, Stary hastily stood up and brushed herself off.  "Sorry, sir.  No, nothing yet.  But I keep hearing the words 'Hercule' and 'champion' shouted amongst the screams.  Apparently, someone's supposed to make an appearance."  She idly flicked back her braid.  "Do you really expect any big threat to be here?  These people all seem like push-overs."

          "If our sources are correct."  Personally, he was getting a little impatient himself.  _And they better be._

          "GOKU!!  CHI-CHI!!  PICCOLO!!"

          The rest of the team was already outside when Gohan and the guardians landed on the ground.  Bulma was talking rapidly with Naki and several other employees.  The rest of the team was staring off at the burning West City.  At the same, they seemed to be arguing with Goku, who would not let them leave.  Chi-Chi looked close to tears.

          Chris and the others ran up to Goku as soon as he landed.  Immediately, he began to give his instructions.  "Team, Mori's forces have launched an attack on West City; we must respond with resistance at once.  The eight of us are to act at once.  Piccolo and Andre, you two will work to extinguish the fires; you'll conjure a rainstorm from here.  Goku, you will be with Danielle, and Chi-Chi, you're with Brian; your two groups will be responsible for the evacuation of citizens.  Gohan and I will seek out the one leading the attack; one of Mori's four guardians would have to be here to direct this attack.  If anyone needs backup, contact one of the guardians by telepa-"

          "Hold up a second!"  Yamcha cut in.  "Goku, are you just gonna take orders from him?  Why don't we just fly in ourselves?"

          "Because you can't."  Brian stepped up to Yamcha.  "They wouldn't have staged the attack before the ki dampers were up.  By now, you couldn't raise your power enough to hover.  Go ahead; try."

          Peeved, Yamcha focused on his energy.  From behind him, the others did the same.  It was almost funny; it simply appeared as though they all had a headache.  But no power whatsoever.  Shocked, the baseball player looked at his hands.  "How…I can't…"

          "That's right, you can't."  Now Brian was going on forcefully as he flicked his tail; _They__ don't trust us, they face the harsh truth._  "So just stay out of the way, and let us deal with the problem."

          Nodding, Chris flapped his wings, and lifted off.  "Everyone, let's move!"  With that, Gohan, Danielle, and Chi-Chi lifted into the air, Goku and Brian in tow.  Piccolo and Andre shifted into meditation.  Already, dark clouds began to pass overhead.  

          "Chris, wait!"  The guardian stopped at the scientist's call.  When Chris turned to Bulma, she didn't seem angry, just concerned.  "We have underground shelters here.  Bring the people from the city here for medical treatment."

          Nodding, he smiled at her.  "Yes ma'am."  With a save of his hand, the six headed into the inferno.

Bulma turned to everyone else.  "OK, everyone inside; I'll need your help to."  Turning inside, she received no response from the others.  "Hello?? Will you people come on?"

Fuming, the rest of the Z-fighters returned to the building, forced to sit out of this fight.  But Vegeta stayed where he was, glaring after the guardians, and knowing he could not follow.

               After breaking off into the three groups of two, the rain began to fall.  The plan was simple; Goku and Brian would create large stone spears and arms, to burst from the ground and support crumbling buildings.  At the same time, Danielle and Chi-Chi used their power to extract people from the buildings; then, created a wind tunnel through the streets, literally pushing people toward Capsule Corp.

          Meanwhile, Gohan and Chris were having less luck.  Chris was struggling in the air with water battering against his wings, Gohan pattering along at his heels.  As an opposing element, Gohan would be vulnerable using his aura to fly in the rain, so he remained on the ground.  They were looking through major open areas, the tops of buildings-any place noticeable.

          "Chris!  Are you sure this is the best way to look for Mori's generals," Gohan yelled.

          "Mori likes to be flashy; don't worry," the guardian called to his student.  Sure enough, he saw a figure in the distance; standing atop a fountain in the center of West City Park.  "This way!"  Signaling down a passing street, the two headed toward the park and the fountain.

          _Oh, they're cute, _Stary thought as the two firey companions approached.  Smiling, she flicked her ponytail aside.

          "You there!" Chris called out, landing near the base of the fountain.  "Who are you?  State your name!"

          Stary jumped from the fountain to the ground, and bowed.  "I am Stary, alto of the Soul Quartet; I am the forth in line of Master Mori's top generals."

          "In other words, you're the worst general."  Gohan now arrived on the scene.  He knew his words sounded big, but Gohan had to present himself as a strong-willed fighter; best to throw off the enemy as much as he could first.  "A quartet, as you said your group is, is defined as a group of four.  As such that would make you the forth _of_ four; bottom of the barrel."

          Which of the two (Christopher or Stary) were more shocked, Gohan didn't know.  "Oh, you little whelp!"  Enraged, Stary charged for the demi-saiyin, pulling a dagger from a holder on her thigh.  Thrusting the dagger forward, she suddenly stopped as the blade was caught by two fingers.  Then, the blade melted and dribbled down her hand, sizziling in the still pouring rain.

          "I don't think so," Chris grinned, melting the blade.  "Gohan is my student.  If you have a problem, come talk to the teacher."  Rearing his arm back, he charged a fireball at Stary, blasting her backward into the lip of the fountain.     

          "Gohan, fall back and prepare for battle."  He did so, and the gem on Chris' head glowed.  //Piccolo, Andre, hold off the water show.  Everyone, we've located the leader of the attack; we're at West City Park.  Get here as soon as you can, but make sure the citizens are still safe.//

          Immediately, the rain let up, and Stary looked to the sky.  "Of course; using rain to put out the fires.  How many guardians have used that trick before?"  She grinned.  "Oh well, I guess guardians think alike; makes my job easier."

          She lunged forward toward Gohan, who in turn raised his hands in attack.  While conjuring a fireball, Stary suddenly snapped her head around, causing the metal tips to rake across Gohan's cheek, almost hitting his eye.  He fell backward, hand on his face; the wound was deep, but wasn't life-threatening.

          "You hellcat!"  Pissed, Chris clapped his hands together.  "Fire Crescent!"  Arms wide, the same red sickles that were used against Vegeta earlier in the day were fired on Stary, who took them full blast.  Searing against her chest, she clutched her body with her arms, and sent a death glare to her fiery adversary.

          "Packs a punch, don't he?"  Started, Stary turned to find the other six elementals spreading out around her; they had gathered together before meeting up with Chris and Gohan.  Brian assumed a fighting stance.  "If you thought the fire element alone was bad, see what all four have offer."

          Eight on one.  Stary sweatdropped.

          "Do not worry, General Stary.  I will assist you."  The voice came out of nowhere, and shocked the group in its familiarity.  They turned the fountain, which was now away from the circle the group had made, to find Vegeta, sitting calmly on the edge of the lake, a purple gem hanging from his neck.

          "Vegeta?!?  What are you doing here, its not safe!" Goku exclaimed.  Next to him, however, Brian and the guardians were doing something unexected; _shaking._

          Brian curled his hand into a fist.  _No…no, this isn't right!  He's not supposed to be on the planet!  Just like all the others!_  "That's not Vegeta," the earth guardian cursed through gritted teeth.  "That's Mori."

          "BRING THE INJURED INTO DOCKING AREA 5!  EVERYONE ELSE MUST BE TAKEN DOWN TO THE THIRD SUBLEVEL OF THE SHELTER, NOW!"

          "At once, Ms. Briefs!"  Two employees headed off to another stampeding arrival of scared citizens.  The Capsule Corporation president decided to use the colossal docking bays and storage areas (normally used for labs for the company's larger projects) as shelters for survivors of the city.  Even if they were attacked by…whatever, the occupied levels were now four stories underground, providing some protection.

          Sighing, Bulma headed down a service staircase from the surface and across an underground shaft to the docking bays, which were level with the structure's first sub-level; all of CC's major buildings were connected underground.  It was here that the wounded were being treated for burns, wounds from fallen debris, and injuries resulting from the first explosions.  More damage had been done than previously thought.

          Though she had a large, qualified medical staff, citizens with any medical knowledge were asked to help out in any way.  Resources were also running low; her own lab coat was shredded and sleeveless, its pieces used as bandages.  So, it wasn't surprising that as she stepped through the door into the hangar, it was filled with people running about, looking for any scrap of cloth or tube of antiseptic, anything to help.

          "Bulma."  The scientist turned to see Eighteen, the android helping a patient with a wounded leg.  "This person looks like he has a fractured tibia.  I need a hard stick about a foot long to make a splint."

          "Well, the others are moving cargo in Docking Bay 3; you can ask one of them for one.  Also, see if they found anything we can use."  As she watched Eighteen leave, Bulma realized how much help the Z-fighters powers could be.  They had been extremely helpful in clearing out room for the citizens.  Eighteen, surprisingly, had a vast medical record in her memory, downloaded by Dr. Gero.  She made great for resource improvisation.

          Heading toward a side computer set up to activate the exterior cameras and see what was going on outside, she dropped what she had been holding; Chris' trench coat, and a small red flower, both he had given to her to hold on two while he and Vegeta sparred.  When she bent down to pick them up, two small, yellow eyes poked out at her.

          "AAHHH!"  The scientist jumped backward in shock.  Receiving a glare from those around her, she recomposed herself and looked back into the bundle, finding a small cat.  "Oh, well hello there!"  Picking up the cat, she heard a cry.

          "Mata, come back here!"  Bulma turned to see a red-headed girl come up to her.  "I'm terribly sorry; my mommy was hurt, and while she was being helped, I lost my grip on her."

          Smiling, the scientist bent down.  "That's alright.  Here you go."  As the girl reached to take Mata, she froze, seeing something on the ground; the geranium.

          "Excuse me ma'am, but did a boy with gold wings give you that?"

          Bulma froze.  "How did you-"

          "It's Mr. Angel!  I'm Cherry; Mr. Angel saved me before.  Is he alright?  He's not out there is he?"

          Seeing the distress in the girl's eyes and hearing it in her voice, the blue haired woman could only smile warmly.  _Fire guardian has quite a heart, _she thought.  Stroking her hair, Bulma said, "You don't need to worry.  Mr. Angel's just trying to help save people, just like he did you.  He'll be back soon."

          Picking up the flower, she lowered her head.  "I hope so."  Then, to herself, "Please be okay, Mr. Angel."

          A/N:  Okay, who wants to kill me, raise your hand!  I know everyone must hate me for taking so long.  I didn't want to upset so many people, things have just been hard.  Not a good excuse, but things have been piling up.  

          I'm going to work next on an omake chapter before continuing the  story.               

          Any feedback would be appreciated; ideas, criticism, flames, I just want people to see my work.  Thanx, and sorry!


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